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House Blackwood: Part 2 – Ravens, Dragons, Stags & Wolves

Part 2 of our House Blackwood series continues – you can find House Blackwood: Part 1 – The Time of the Tree here. It’s clear GRRM has placed the Blackwoods carefully; they are an important part of several of the most important houses’ ancestry, with strong associations with mystical elements.

In this episode, we take a look at all the heroes of House Blackwood since the coming of the Targaryens. We have lots of thoughts and ideas of what’s coming next for them as Winter and the Dragons come. They are tied to both…


North/River Shipping

Lord Stark had marched south with a great host, made up in large part of men unwanted and unneeded in the North, whose return would bring great hardship and mayhaps even death for the loved ones they had left behind. Legend (and Mushroom) tells us that it was Lady Alysanne who suggested an answer.

The lands along the Trident were full of widows, she reminded Lord Stark; women, many burdened with young children, who had sent their husbands off to fight with one lord or another, only for them to fall in battle. With winter at hand, strong backs and willing hands would be welcome in many a hearth and home. In the end, more than a thousand northmen accompanied Black Aly and her nephew Lord Benjicot when they returned to the riverlands after the royal wedding.

“A wolf for every widow,” Mushroom japed, “he will warm her bed in winter, and gnaw her bones come spring.”

Yet hundreds of marriages were made at the so-called Widow Fairs held at Raventree, Riverrun, Stoney Sept, the Twins, and Fairmarket. Those northmen who did not wish to marry instead swore their swords to lords both great and small as guards and men-at-arms.

A few, sad to say, did turn to outlawry and met evil ends, but for the most part, Lady Alysanne’s matchmaking was a great success. The resettled northmen not only strengthened the riverlords who welcomed them, particularly House Tully and House Blackwood, but also helped revive and spread the worship of the old gods south of the Neck.


GOAT Black Aly Blackwood

Huntress, horse-breaker, and archer without peer, Black Aly had little of a woman’s softness about her. Many thought her to be of that same ilk as Sabitha Frey, for they were oft in one another’s company, and had been known to share a tent whilst on the march. Yet in King’s Landing, whilst accompanying her young nephew Benjicot at court and council, she had met Cregan Stark and conceived a liking for the stern northman. And Lord Cregan, a widower these past three years, had responded in kind.


To him gathered Benjicot Blackwood of Raventree, already a seasoned warrior at three-and-ten; his fierce young aunt, Black Aly, with three hundred bows; Lady Sabitha Frey, the merciless and grasping Lady of the Twins, Lord Hugo Vance of Wayfarer’s Rest, Lord Jorah Mallister of Seagard; Lord Roland Darry of Darry; aye, and even Humfrey Bracken, Lord of Stone Hedge, whose house had hitherto supported King Aegon’s cause.


Missy Blackwood

Aegon the Fourth had died long before Jaime had been born, but he recalled enough of the history of his reign to guess what must have happened next. “Only later he put the Bracken girl aside and took up with a Blackwood, was that the way of it?”

“Lady Melissa,” Hoster confirmed. “Missy, they called her. There’s a statue of her in our godswood. She was much more beautiful than Barba Bracken.”

– Jaime I, ADWD

Images

  • Aegon and Betha’s branch, by poly-hebdo
  • Raventree Hall, by Klaradox

Filed Under: Blog, Episodes Tagged With: aegon iv targaryen, aegon the unworthy, aegon v targaryen, alysanne blackwood, amos bracken, barba bracken, benjicot blackwood, betha blackwood, bethany bracken, black aly blackwood, blackwood, bloodraven, bloody ben blackwood, brynden rivers, cregan stark, daeron targaryen, dance of the dragons, fishfeed, god's eye, great bastards, hoster blackwood, house blackwood, house bracken, house stark, house targaryen, jaehaerys targaryen, jenny of oldstones, melantha blackwood, melissa blackwood, olenna redwyne, olenna tyrell, pact of ice and fire, prince duncan the small, queen of thorns, raventree hall, red robb rivers, rhaelle targaryen, sabitha frey, samwell blackwood, shaera targaryen, summerhall, the dance of the dragons, the tales of dunk and egg, tytos blackwood, willam stark

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. Find part 2 in this series here.

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
    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: Blog, 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

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. You can find our other panels here.

Filed Under: Blog, Episodes Tagged With: audio, con of thrones, con of thrones 2018, dragons, dying of the dragons, house targaryen, panel

Blackfyre Rebellions: Part 5 – Bittersteel

The Blackfyre series returns! This time: the life of Aegor Rivers, aka Bittersteel. Aziz also does a Grandpa Simpson impression.

Credits

Our new introduction, animations, and the Bittersteel sigil were created by Michael Klarfeld (Klaradox). dutchmogul created the cyvasse pieces.

“Younger than Daemon Blackfyre, older than Bloodraven. Bittersteel was also a warrior, and looked the part. He was only half Targaryen, so he got the purple eyes, but his hair was black. As an adult he wore a beard, cropped very short, little more than a shadow on his face and jaws. Somewhat of a Conanesque look to him, but not the Frank Frazetta Conan and definitely not the Arnold Conan, more the Barry Windsor-Smith version, or the one described by REH (Robert E. Howard)– he is tall and well made, but lean and lithe as a panther. And angry. No smiles here. Bittersteel was pissed off all his life, and had a special loathing for Bloodraven and his mother, who had displayed his own mother as the king’s favorite.” – GRRM


Serenei was the most beautiful of Aegon’s mistresses, but she was also reputed to be a sorceress. She died giving birth to the last of the king’s bastard children, a girl called Shiera Seastar who became the greatest beauty in the Seven Kingdoms, beloved of both her half brothers, Bittersteel and Bloodraven, whose rivalry would ripen to hatred.

“I should have gone with Bittersteel into exile, or died beside my sons and my sweet king. That would have been a death worthy of a chequy lion descended from so many proud lords and mighty warriors. Daeron’s mercy made me smaller.”

Bittersteel Sigil by Klaradox
Bittersteel Sigil by Klaradox
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IyZi47RyM4

Filed Under: Episodes Tagged With: aegor river, audio, bittersteel, blackfyre rebellion, bloodraven, brynden rivers, daemon blackfyre, gormon peake, house targaryen, shiera seastar, video

Dark Sister

Everything you ever wanted to know (and more) regarding the Valyrian Steel Sword Dark Sister. Famous owners from Queen Visenya to Bloodraven, and all their epic kills! Plus we have speculation about the sword’s future. Let us know what you think the future of the sword is.

Ash has since learned new information straight from GRRM himself – that Bloodraven took Dark Sister with him to the Wall! She asked him this in August 2018, which is two and a half years after this episode.

Credits

Thank you to Joey Townsend for our intro music, and to Ed Scheer for the art. And as always, thank you to our wonderful patrons.

When Queen Visenya and an escort were set upon, two of her guards died before she cut down the last villain herself with Dark Sister.


Dark Sister by Ed Scheer
by Ed Scheer (The Art of Geekishness)

On one occasion in 10 AC, Aegon and Visenya were both attacked in the streets of King’s Landing. If not for Visenya and Dark Sister, the king might not have survived. Despite this, the king still believed that his guards were sufficient to his defense; Visenya convinced him otherwise. It is recorded that when Aegon pointed out his guardsmen, Visenya drew Dark Sister and cut his cheek before his guards could react. “Your guards are slow and lazy.”


“He proved the greatest jouster and swordsman of his age—a knight worthy to bear Dark Sister. He became known as the Dragonknight for the three-headed dragon crest wrought in white gold upon his helm.”

Bloodraven

“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.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfssg3tW820

Filed Under: Episodes Tagged With: aemon targaryen, aemon the dragonknight, aemond targaryen, audio, bloodraven, brynden rivers, daemon targaryen, dark sister, house targaryen, jaehaerys targaryen, valyrian steel, video, visenya targaryen

Red Dragon or Black? – The First Blackfyre Rebellion

“Red or black?” was a dangerous question, even now. Since the days of Aegon the Conquerer, the arms of House Targaryen had borne a three-headed dragon, red on black. Daemon the Pretender had reversed those colors on his own banners, as many bastards did. – The Sworn Sword

Which houses fought for which side during the First Blackfyre Rebellion? Red dragon or black?

Though the war engulfed much of the Seven Kingdoms, we are left guessing as to who fought for whom in many cases. We’ve hunted for every last clue we could, inferred, deduced… and when we had no better option, we made educated guesses. So many of these should not be taken as certain. An unusually pious, honorable, greedy or ambitious Lord could easily change the scope of our guess, so keep that in mind.

Thanks to Jim McGeehin (SomethingLikeALawyer from the Wars & Politics of Ice and Fire) Steven Attewell (Race for the Iron Throne) and Rhaenys Targaryen (top ASOIAF Wiki contributor & Queen of Timelines). This post is intended as a companion piece for our Blackfyre Rebellions coverage, most notably “The Battle of Redgrass Field” which was released on October 31st, 2015.

We’ll go through this region by region. If you don’t see your favorite house listed, let us know and we’ll add it!

First off, the North and the Iron Islands seemed to have not been involved at all. The Redgrass field episode will go into greater detail as to why…

The Vale

For King Daeron II Targaryen:

  • Arryn
  • Templeton
  • Waynwood
  • Corbray

These banners were all seen at the Redgrass Field, save Corbray. Lord Donnel Arryn led the vanguard. Ser Gwayne Corbray of the Kingsguard fought an epic duel with Daemon Blackfyre himself, making it highly likely the Corbrays in general stayed loyal.

For Daemon Blackfyre:

  • Sunderland
  • Royce?

There is no hard evidence suggesting House Royce fought for Daemon Blackfyre. Their house has a history of stubborn loyalty, which is possible strike against this idea. However, we know there was hard fighting in the Vale, yet so many of the major houses are named and none are Rebels. It is hard to imagine the Sunderlands (and the Three Sisters) being such a major problem on their own. The Three Sisters are islands, but not wealthy or populous. There had to be someone powerful in the Vale fighting for the Black Dragon. The bronze-armored Royces (as you’ll see in an upcoming episode on them) like tradition and the old way of doing things.  King Daeron the Good represented change.

Since House Royce has had major issues with House Arryn in the past, and are proud and ancient besides, perhaps they saw a chance to topple House Arryn from the top spot and become Lords Paramount of the Vale. It could be seen as finally taking revenge on the House that removed them from the top spot in the Vale so long ago. The House that took their ancient bronze crown for good and all.

Notable Unknown:

  • Belmore
  • Grafton (Gulltown)
  • Arryn of Gulltown
  • Hardyng
  • Hunter
  • Redfort

The Redforts, also proud of their First Men heritage, have close ties & proximity to the Royces, it’s not unlikely the fought on the same side. The Arryns of Gulltown may have sought an opportunity to supplant the Lordly Arryns of the Eyrie, or supported their cousins honorably.

 

The Westerlands

For King Daeron II Targaryen:

  • Lannister
  • Brax 
  • Kyndall
  • Lefford
  • Plumm

Lord Damon Lannister, the Grey Lion, is specifically mentioned as a loyalist. His wife was a lady of House Brax, and his son and heir’s wife was married to a lady of House Kyndall, so both are presumed loyalists. Princess Elaena Targaryen’s marriage to Ossifer Plumm, though short lived, may indicate loyalist leanings.

For Daemon Blackfyre:

  • Reyne
  • Crakehall

The famous knight Ser Robb Reyne fought for Daemon Blackfyre. It’s possible House Reyne was divided, but we prefer to guess that they were fully Black. Likewise, the famous knight Redtusk fought for Daemon. There are very few houses in Westeros that feature an animal with a tusk. The boar of Crakehall is the most notable. That Daemon had major support in the West helps back this theory.

Fought on both sides:

  • Tarbeck

Not unlike the Swanns in the War of Five Kings, or the Hightowers in… well, several wars, House Tarbeck sent men to fight for both the Red and Black Dragon.

Notable Unknown:

  • Marbrand
  • Greenfield
  • Farman
  • Payne
  • Prester
  • Sarsfield
  • Swyft
  • Westerling

The Westerlings used to be powerful and highly-regarded. So much so that King Maegor took a certain Jeyne Westerling to wife. That didn’t go so great for Jeyne, and as we know from Robb Stark’s experience, the Westerlings are now poor. The Red Wedding was a way for them to climb back up the ladder. But what caused them to be destitute in the first place? Perhaps they fought on the wrong side of a major rebellion and were punished for it afterwards. It probably wasn’t Robert’s Rebellion, since Tywin sat on the sidelines. So *obviously* it is Daemon Blackfyre’s fault that the Red Wedding happened. House Marbrand’s close ties to House Lannister (and proximity) makes them highly likely to be loyalist. House Farman, which sits on an island, could’ve remained neutral, especially if they feared what the nearby Ironborn might do during the chaos.


The Riverlands

For King Daeron II Targaryen:

  • Tully
  • Blackwood
  • Smallwood

For Daemon Blackfyre:

  • Bracken
  • Shawney
  • Nayland
  • Heddle
  • Paege 
  • Frey 

House Bracken is Bittersteel’s house, and we know that Lord Bracken went overseas to hire sellswords for Daemon. Masha Heddle ran the Inn at the Crossroads, where Catelyn Stark had Tyrion arrested…  and Black Tom Heddle is her ancestor. Black Tom was a Blackfyre supporter, and one wonders if the Heddles had land and title that was taken from them after being on the wrong side of the First rebellion.

It’s easy to miss that Lord Walder Frey was born before the Second Blackfyre Rebellion, which saw his father join only to back out just before things got nasty. Perhaps this is where Lord Walder eventually learned to delay supporting a side until seeing who is going to win. It is not known if the Freys played a role in the First Rebellion, but their presence in the Second might be a clue. Nayland and Paege are similar cases.

Also:

  • Butterwell
  • Lothston

Lord Butterwell was Hand of the King to Daeron II and did such a poor job at managing the rebellion that he was fired and accused of sympathizing with Daemon.

Lord Manfred Lothston, aka Manfred of the Black Hood, betrayed Daemon in some unknown fashion. He may have been expected to use his men to delay the Vale army that eventually got in Daemon’s way as his host headed for King’s Landing. Interestingly, Manfred himself may have been another bastard of King Aegon IV.

Notable Unknown:

  • Mallister
  • Vance
  • Darry
  • Mooton
  • Piper

As owners of a decent sized port, House Mooton of Maidenpool would be valuable to both sides, but particularly Daemon as he had less presence on the east coast. But we have no clue which side they took, if any.

House Darry is noted for it’s staunch loyalty to the Targaryens over the years, so we would guess they fought for Daeron II.


Stormlands

For King Daeron II:

  • Penrose
  • Dondarrion
  • Wylde

Prince Aerys (later King Aerys I) was brother to King Daeron II, was married to Aelinor Penrose (a cousin). The sons of Lady Penrose, save one, were slain by Fireball during the crossing of the Mander.

House Dondarrion, as a marcher house, would be expected to fight for Daemon Blackfyre. But Daeron II foresaw this danger long in advance and wedded his heir Baelor Breakspear to Lady Jena Dondarrion, assuring their loyalty.

House Wylde had a knight named Ser William in King Daeron’s Kingsguard either before or after the war. In any case, it’s unlikely a house that fought for the Blackfyres would be admitted to the Kingsguard, so we can be confident they were loyalists.

For Daemon Blackfyre:

  • Caron
  • Selmy
  • Swann

These three are the principle Marcher Houses in the Stormlands (save the Dondarrions). These are houses that have long standing hatred of the Dornish, and would despise their high place in the royal family. It is likely that they declared for Daemon Blackfyre, but by the time of the Redgrass Field, Baelor had won over the Stormlands entirely, or almost entirely. Thus, either the Marcher lords stood largely alone, or perhaps one or two of them did not fight for Daemon after all.

Notable Unknown:

  • Baratheon
  • Tarth
  • Estermont
  • Morrigen
  • Connington

No Great Houses fought for Daemon Blackfyre, so the Baratheons were likely to be loyal or neutral. Others would have followed their lead for the most part, but there would’ve likely be an exception or two.

Dorne

For King Daeron II:

  • Martell
  • Dayne
  • Manwoody

The Martells were part of the Royal Family, Daeron II’s wife was Princess Mariah Martell. Prince Maekar, “the Anvil” was likewise married to Dyanna Dayne. Princess Elaena Targaryen’s 3rd husband, and most beloved, was Ser Michael Manwoody. This makes it likely that House Manwoody was on good terms with the Targaryens after the war, so we assume they were loyalists.

For Daemon Blackfyre:

  • Yronwood 
  • Wyl

House Yronwood was said to “ride with Bittersteel in 3 of the Rebellions”. It is confirmed that they were not in the 2nd, and Bittersteel was not in the 5th. That leaves the 1st, 3rd and 4th. They were the primary House in all of Dorne until the coming of Nymeria, and the titles the Lords of Yronwood take reflect this ancient pride. They would’ve loved to take back Dorne from the Martells.

House Wyl is a notorious house and vassal to the Yronwoods. This is the same House that cut the hand off Orys Baratheon, hung Prince Aemon the Dragonknight in a pit above vipers, and taunted King Baelor as he walked past. They were likely involved in treachery that slew King Daeron I the Young Dragon. Given all this enmity with House Targaryen and the attitude of their overlords the Yronwoods, it’s a safe bet that there were not loyalists.

Notable Unknown

  • Fowler 
  • Blackmont
  • Uller
  • Santagar
  • Jordayne
  • Gargalen
  • Vaith

The Fowlers hate the Yronwoods, who fought for Daemon, but they also hate the Tarlys who probably fought for Daemon. The Houses farther from Sunspear would be among the more likely to dislike the Martells, while a house like Santagar, close by (and vassals of), would likely stay loyal.

 

The Reach

For King Daeron II:

  • Caswell
  • Webber
  • Tyrell
  • Rowan
  • Ashford

Interestingly, House Caswell seems to have been loyal in the First Rebellion, only to harbor Blackfyre sympathies during the Second. The reasons for this are unknown.

Refer to the podcast episode for our thoughts on House Tyrell. Steven Attewell has a great theory on how Leo “Longthorn” Tyrell may have been playing a Tywin/Lord Walder wait-and-see who gains the upper hand approach…

House Webber’s was loyal per The Sworn Sword. House Rowan is seen to be on excellent terms with the throne during the same time period.

House Ashford hosted the tourney seen in the Hedge Knight. It is unlikely house so recently in rebellion would’ve had so many Targaryen Princes appear, especially as they seemed on very good terms with Lord Ashford.

For Daemon Blackfyre:

  • Peake
  • Ball
  • Strickland
  • Costayne
  • Ambrose
  • Osgrey
  • Vyrwel
  • Bulwer
  • Cockshaw
  • Risley
  • Cuy
  • Tarly

Here’s the best example of ambitious types we spoke of in Daemon’s episode: House Peake. They have a long history of aiming high, most notably during the Dance of the Dragons. They’re the ones who snagged the Manderly castle after encouraging the King of the Reach to drive them out. Lord Gormon seems to be cut from the same cloth. He commanded the Rebel center during the Battle of Redgrass field and personally slew Hand of the King Lord Hayford in the process. Lord Gormon lost two of his ancestral castles, leaving him with Starpike.

A descendant of his rebelled and slew King Maekar after the King put Starpike under siege.

Some of these houses may not sound familiar, or formidable, but that might be because they were on the losing side. Losers get punished, so some of these names may have loomed quite a bit larger a century ago. Some of the houses listed there aimed to fight for Daemon II in the Second Rebellion, making it likely but not certain that they also fought for Daemon I.

House Ball is Fireball’s house. House Ambrose saw the famous knight Ser Aubrey Ambrose pledge to Daemon Blackfyre. Young Lord Alyn Cockshaw was a close confidant (and probable lover) of Daemon II, and knew all of Daemon’s sons as a child, as they grew up together. House Osgrey of course, is our main source of information for the Battle of Redgrass Field.

House Vyrwel may have been playing double agent in the Second Rebellion. There is some evidence that they were working with Bloodraven. This may have been an attempt to get back into the good graces of the Iron Throne.

House Tarly, as a marcher house, would be likely to fight for Daemon Blackfyre to stop the Dornish encroachment.

Also:

  • Hightower
  • Oakheart

Both of these notable houses supported both sides in unknown fashion.

Notable Unknown:

  • Beesbury
  • Florent
  • Fossoway
  • Shield Islands houses
  • Merryweather
  • Redwyne
  • Roxton
  • Serry

Often, houses follow the lead of their primary overlord. House Beesbury is vassal to Hightower, but the Hightowers played both sides.

House Florent has long sought to claim Highgarden, we hear of it in ASOIAF in current times even. This would’ve seemed like a golden opportunity to become Lords Paramount of the Reach. A perfect example of a “second best tier” house trying to move up, as discussed in the podcast.

The Shield Islands houses, like the Farmans of the West, may have been too concerned with the Ironborn to play a major role.

House Fossoway had not yet split into the Green and Red apple branches, but a Ser Derek “the Bad Apple” Fossoway was one of the Band of Nine along with Maelys the Monstrous. Perhaps the connection to the Blackfyres goes back to the First Rebellion.

Crownlands

For King Daeron II:

House Darklyn of Duskendale is noted for it’s historic loyalty, putting *seven* knights into the Kingsguard over the years. This truth is obscured by the more recent Defiance of Duskendale.

There’s a chance House Velaryon fought for Daemon Blackfyre. Daemon’s grandmother Daenaera would have only the barest relation to Daeron II. Though Oakenfist (d171-176) was the one who arranged Viserys’ release from Lys, that may not matter. Oakenfist was also Daeron I’s admiral, and his own descendants may have preferred to back the man who didn’t make peace with Daeron I’s murderers. Aegon IV arguably tried to have Oakenfist killed by repeatedly sending him on dangerous missions. Eventually, it worked.Hayford

The Crownlands are sworn to the Iron Throne, thus this region would be mostly or near-entirely for Daeron II. But this is not 100% certain.

Lord Hayford became Hand of the King during the war, and was stalwart. Yet apart from Hayford, we hear of the Crownlanders not at all on the Redgrass Field…

See a house missing? Let us know and we’ll add our best guess!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: aziz, baelor, bittersteel, blackfyre rebellion, bloodraven, daemon blackfyre, daeron the good, damon lannister, grey lion, house targaryen, maekar, maekar i targaryen, maelys blackfyre, maelys the monstrous, mystery knight, ninepenny kings, redgrass field, robb reyne, sworn sword, the tales of dunk and egg

The Tragedy of Summerhall

The Tragedy of Summerhall was a spectacular attempt by Aegon V to hatch dragon eggs, and it failed spectacularly, killing most to all of the participants plus at least some, probably most of, the witnesses. Summerhall has some really surprising aspects to it, and explains quite a lot more than we could’ve hoped it would, despite so much of it still remaining mysterious. Not just in what happened, but in how it impacts the more recent, and even the current, ASOIAF storyline.

This episode will have a second (shorter) part focusing on the aftermath of Summerhall, examining the effects on Aerys, Rhaegar, and the realm… Listen to part 2 here!

The primary topics in this episode:

  1. History of Summerhall
  2. The Realm of Aegon V, Treason & Turmoil
  3. Dragon Dreams
  4. Enablers: The Wisdom & the Ghost
  5. The Ritual

What became of the dream of dragons was a grievous tragedy born in a moment of joy. In the fateful year 259 AC, the king summoned many of those closest to him to Summerhall, his favorite castle, there to celebrate the impending birth of his first great-grandchild, a boy later named Rhaegar, to his grandson Aerys and granddaughter Rhaella, the children of Prince Jaehaerys.


“Treason and turmoil followed, as night follows day, ending at Summerhall in sorcery, fire, and grief.”


The last years of Aegon’s reign were consumed by a search for ancient lore about the dragon breeding of Valyria, and it was said that Aegon commissioned journeys to places as far away as Asshai-by-the-Shadow with the hopes of finding texts and knowledge that had not been preserved in Westeros.


Dreams

“My brothers dreamed of dragons too, and the dreams killed them, every one.”


As he grew older, Aegon V had come to dream of dragons flying once more above the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. In this, he was not unlike his predecessors, who brought septons to pray over the last eggs, mages to work spells over them, and maesters to pore over them.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK25XfDFsIM

The dragons are done. The Targaryens tried to bring them back half a dozen times. And made fools of themselves, or corpses.

Filed Under: Episodes Tagged With: aegon the unlikely, aegon v targaryen, aemon targaryen, aerion targaryen, aerys ii targaryen, archmaester gyldayn, audio, betha blackwood, black betha, brynden rivers, daemon ii blackfyre, daenora targaryen, daeron ii the good, dragon eggs, dreams, duncan the tall, ghost of high heart, hallyne, house targaryen, jaehaerys targaryen, jenny of oldstones, prince duncan the small, pyromancers, rhaegar targaryen, rhaella targaryen, rhaelle targaryen, robert baratheon, shaera targaryen, shiera seastar, summerhall, the citadel, the mad king, the tales of dunk and egg, the tragedy of summerhall, video, wildfire

History: The Doom of Valyria (mild spoilers)

The Doom annihilated the powerful and sorcerous Freehold of Valyria in mere moments. History of Westeros takes a look at what it was, why it happened, and possibly who caused it. We recorded this episode in 2014! In other words, this episode is very old. This was well before the release of Fire & Blood. This was even before the release of The World of Ice and Fire. Additionally, you can check out our episode on the Faceless Men here, which was made after the release of Fire & Blood. So enjoy this very old episode!

It was written that every hill for five hundred miles split asunder to fill the air with ash and smoke, and fire so hot and hungry that even the dragons in the sky were engulfed and consumed. Great rents opened in the earth, swallowing palaces, temples, and entire towns. Lakes boiled or turned to acid, mountains burst, fiery fountains spewed molten rock a thousand feet into the air, and red clouds rained down dragonglass and the black blood of demons. To the north, the ground splintered and collapsed and fell in on itself, and an angry sea came boiling in. The proudest city in all the world was gone in an instant, the fabled empire vanished in a day.


“Septon Barth speculated on the matter, referring to a Valyrian text that has since been lost, suggesting that the Freehold’s sorcerers foretold that the gold of Casterly Rock would destroy them.”


“At its apex Valyria was the greatest city in the known world, the center of civilization.”

The Doom

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFyXGGTMeYQ

One thing that can be said for certain is that it was a cataclysm such as the world had never seen. The ancient, mighty Freehold—home to dragons and to sorcerers of unrivaled skill—was shattered and destroyed within hours.


Fourteen or fourteen thousand. What man dares count them? It is not wise for mortals to look too deeply at those fires, my friend. Those are the fires of god’s own wrath, and no human flame can match them. We are small creatures, men.


Some, wedding the fanciful notion of Valyrian magic to the reality of the ambitious great houses of Valyria, have argued that it was the constant whirl of conflict and deception amongst the great houses that might have led to the assassinations of too many of the reputed mages who renewed and maintained the rituals that banked the fires of the Fourteen Flames.

Filed Under: Blog, Episodes Tagged With: audio, daenerys targaryen, dragons, faceless men, house targaryen, jaenara belaerys, religion & magic, septon barth, the doom of valyria, the fourteen flames, valyria, video

Book Discussion: World of Ice and Fire Overview

In this episode, we give our first impressions of The World of Ice and Fire. We discuss all of the immediate revelations. The latter half of the episode contains discoveries more related to the ‘current events’ of the series.

Special attention is paid to the Kingdom of Sarnor, other ancient cultures, and the mysterious oily black stone that keeps popping up. There is, of course, a lot of discussion on House Targaryen. We also talk at length about the sections on Dorne. The mystery of Asshai’s children is also debated. Who is Hyrkoon the Hero? What’s the deal with Bonetown? Join us on a journey through the world of ice and fire. It is also a journey back to 2014 now!


On the Isle of Toads can be found an ancient idol. A greasy black stone crudely carved into the semblance of a gigantic toad of malignant aspect, some forty feet high. The people of this isle are believed by some to be descended from those who carved the Toad Stone, for there is an unpleasant fishlike aspect to their faces, and many have webbed hands and feet. If so, they are the sole surviving remnant of this forgotten race.


Such questions abound even to this day. Before the Doom of Valyria, maesters and archmaesters oft traveled to the Freehold in search of answers, but none were ever found. Septon Barth’s claim that the Valyrians came to Westeros because their priests prophesied that the Doom of Man would come out of the land beyond the narrow sea can safely be dismissed as nonsense, as can many of Barth’s queerer beliefs and suppositions.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lq4DBiY-ej0

NOOOOO, SALLOSH!

For scholars and students of history, the fall of Sallosh by the Silver Shore was especially tragic. For when that City of Scholars burned, its great library was not spared, and most of the history of the Tall Men and the peoples who had gone before them were lost for all time.


Filed Under: Episodes Tagged With: aegon vi targaryen, aerys ii targaryen, aliandra martell, asshai, audio, betha blackwood, brienne of tarth, discussion, duncan the tall, essos, five forts, h.p. lovecraft, hightower, house blackfyre, house greyjoy, house targaryen, hyrkoon, illyrio mopatis, isle of faces, joanna lannister, leng, lomas longstrider, lyanna stark, maegelle targaryen, melisandre, muppet tullys, oily black stone, others, queen nymeria, rhaegar targaryen, saera targaryen, sarnor, seastone chair, septon barth, serra, sothoryos, the rhoynar, the westerlands, the world of ice and fire, twoiaf, tyrion lannister, tywin lannister, ulthos, valyria, video, viserra targaryen, westeros, yeen, yi ti

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