Setting Context
Global Context - The Century of Blood
The Century of Blood
What followed the Doom of Valyria was struggle that lasted a century. The destruction of Valyria left a power vacuum in Essos. According to history, Aurion, a dragonlord who had been visiting Qohor, proclaimed himself the first Emperor of Valyria and raised forces from the Qohorik. With his dragon and an army of thirty thousand men he marched to claim Valyria's remains, but none were ever seen again
Volantis, then the mightiest of the nine Free Cities, laid claim to Valyria's empire. Meanwhile, the Dothraki rode out of the east, sacking and burning towns and cities in their way, leading to the destruction of several realms.
War amongst Valyria's Children
As Valyria's "First Daughter", the Volantenes regarded themselves as the rightful successors of the dragonlords. The so-called tigers, aggressive Volantene nobles descended of Valyrian blood, called for war upon the other cities. Taking control of Lys and Myr and commanded the southern reaches of the Rhoyne, Volantis ruled their two sister-cities for two generations.
Resistance began when Volantis attempted to take control of Tyrosh, however, and in the end, all of the Free Cities, save for Lorath, either rebelled against Volantis or joined the alliance against the Volantenes. Pentos gave Tyrosh aid in their resistance while Myr and Lys rebelled.
Rise of the Dothraki
Because of the power vacuum left by the Doom, the Dothraki came from the east and the grasslands of central Essos exploded into war. Acting on the advice given by his mother Doshi, Khal Mengo united the sixty khalasars and focused on the west. The Tall Men of the Kingdom of Sarnor ignored the threat the Dothraki posed, instead attempting to use them in their own wars. Mengo accepted all the Tall Men offered in return for his help, but took the lands they had conquered as well. The fields, farms and towns were burned, and so these lands returned to the wild state they had once had.
The khalasar of Khal Moro, Mengo's son, destroyed Sathar, slew its men, and took its women and children to be sold as slaves. Kasath and Gornath both claimed Sathar's ruins, which resulted in conflict between the two Sarnori cities. Six years following Sathar's destruction, Kasath was destroyed as well, and Gornath followed a dozen years later. By then, Khal Moro had been slain and replaced by Khal Horro. Following Horro's death three years later, his large khalasar splintered into twelve smaller bands, who continued the conquests. Sallosh, Kyth, and Hornoth fell. Mardosh held on for six years, though the city's inhabitants were eventually forced to eat their own dead in order to survive. When the city could endure no more, the men killed their wives and children to keep them from falling into the hands of the Dothraki, after which they made one last charge.
Following the fall of Mordosh, the Sarnori united against their enemy, and faced the Dothraki in the tall grasses halfway Sarnath and the ruins of Kasath. The so-called Field of Crows ended in Dothraki victory, and a fortnight later, Sarnath was taken and put to the torch.
Regional Focus: The Reiverlands
The Andal River Kings - From Justman to Teague
House Justman united the riverlands for almost three centuries, and King Benedict II Justman expanded their realm east to Duskendale, Rosby, and the mouth of the Blackwater Rush.[4] However, the sons of King Bernarr II Justman were murdered by Qhored Hoare in the Bloody Keep of Pyke in the Iron Islands, and the riverlands fell into anarchy when Qhored sacrificed Bernarr to the Drowned God, ending the Justman line.[29][30]
The riverlands were then disputed by Houses Blackwood, Bracken, Vance, Mallister, and Charlton for a century. The Hooks were also river kings of old who claimed the mouth of the Blackwater.[5] The various kings were pressured by the Kings of the Iron Islands, the Kings of the Rock, the Vale mountain clans, the Kings of the Reach, the Storm Kings, and pirates from the Stepstones and the Three Sisters. Torrence Teague finally reunited the riverlands, but he and his heirs were disliked by their rebellious subjects
Storm Kings
The stormlands were consolidated by the Storm Kings, House Durrandon of Storm's End, who were founded by Durran Godsgrief. In time, the Durrandons gained dominion over Cape Wrath and the rainwood, what would become the kingswood, Massey's Hook, and islands in the narrow sea, such as Tarth and Estermont.[3] Storm Kings fought river kings for control of lands north of the Blackwater Rush, and sometimes Storm's End controlled lands as far as Maidenpool and the Bay of Crabs.[18][3] The Dornish Marches were created as bulwarks against Dorne to the south and the Kingdom of the Reach to the west.[7]
The Storm Kings defended the stormlands during the coming of the Andals, but eventually the First Men intermarried with the Andal newcomers.[19] Himself aided by Andals, Gyles III Gardener, King of the Reach, conquered the lands north of the rainwood, but he failed to capture Storm's End after besieging it for two years.[20] King Arlan III Durrandon vanquished the river kings of House Teague, extending the Storm Kings' domain north to the Neck.
Local Focus: House Blackwood and House Bracken
With the Dominion of House Durrandon over the Riverlands, the ancient feud between Blackwood and Bracken has taken on a new form.
House Blackwood turned to the Durrandon's to help them agains tthe oppression of House Teague, but did not receive the River Crown as originally promised by House Durrandon, who took it for themselves. Nevertheless, House Durrandon has repeatedly intermarried with House Blackwood, leaving strong ties between the two houses.
House Bracken, under Lord Lothar Bracken, is a fierce rival of House Blackwood, deriding their pagan ways and blaming them for the Durrandon Boot that rests on the throat of Rivermen across the Trident. House Bracken has strong ties with the Faith Militant, perhaps only exceeded by House Vance of Wayfarer's Rest in the Riverlands.
Fairmarket serves as something of an administrative centre for the region, and is under the rule of Ser Tristan Wylde - The Storm King's High Reeve, who collects taxes throughout the region on behalf of the Storm King.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:06, Thu 24 Sept 2020.
