The Secret Histories (AGOT)

[Kashked]

Official royal account of the Reign of Aerys II and his succesors,
Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and King of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men,
Protector of the Realm
By: Prince Maekar Targaryen, Royal Chronicler of the Iron Throne, and Lord Justiciar of all the Realm,
compiled from official accounts and the eye-witness accounts of many great lords and knights,
312 A.C, 11 years after the passing of the great King​

The future King Aerys was born in the castle at Dragonstone, on 1st of Sixth Moon, A.C. 243, to the Prince of Dragonstone, the future King Jaeharys II, and his sister and wife Princess Shaera Targaryen. Tales tell of omens and portents heralding his birth, assuring a great destiny for the future King, and all over the realm celebrations took place, and prayer were made in all septs for the health and well-being of the royal babe.

He would grow up on that island, and after the death of his grandfather Aegon V he would be it's lord, until the death of his father, in 270, when he took up his seat on the Iron Throne, at the age of 27.

King Aegon V (ruled 233-265), grandfather of Aerys II, and his father, Jaeharys II (ruled 265-270).

In his youth he squired for the legendary knight, and later Lord Commander of the Queensguard, Ser Jeffory "Neveryield", and he was named as a knight of distinction by his father Jaeharys in Dragonstone in 259, being named the first Knight Immaculate, a title that has since been held by Prince Duncan Targaryen and his son Aemond. In that same year were also born his firstborn son, Rhaegar.

6th Blackfyre rebellion​

2 years into his reign his first test would come, with the invasion of Dorne by Maenar Blackfyre, son of Maelys the Monstrous, who had been vanquished by Ormond Baratheon 12 years earlier during his own failed invasion of the Realm during the reign of Aegon V.

Clash of the Giants, painting commemorating the end of the 5th Blackfyre rebellion, at the battle of the Ghost Hills in Dorne, where Maelys fell. Gifted to Ormund, along with an dragonegg, in recognition to his service to the realm. Displayed in the great hall of Storms End.

Maenar's invasion garnered far less support in Essos than Maely's had, and did not proceed further than the stepstones, before being turned back by the forces of Dorne and the Stormlands, and then having his fortress taken by storm by the Royal Army led by King Aerys himself. The last known Blackfyre was taken captive, and later beheaded in King's Landing, and the threat from that accursed line was thought to be ended. Of course, we, with the benefit of hindsight know this were not to be true, but at the time it was cause for great celebrations. But these celebrations were dimmed, as Aerys came home to the news that the beloved prince, and presumed succesor to the throne, Rhaegar, had died to a fever.

Prince Rhaegar Targaryen: 259-273, dead at 13 years of age, from the Green Fever.

Bereft of his firstborn, Prince Viserys, 10 years old at the time, would be named heir in the wake of the rebellion. 5 years of peace and calm would follow, but it were not to last.

The Defiance of Duskendale, A.C. 277
​

In 276 King Aerys held a grand procession around the Kingdom, where he visited many of his most valued vassals, including his good friends and allies Lord Tywin "the Lion" of the Westerlands and Steffon of the Stormlands. Many were those who for the first time got to see their King in the flesh during that great tour, and no expense was spared. At Duskendale, however, lord Denys, known amongst his supporters as Denys "the Great", defied custom and law and refused to show deference in the prescribed way at the end of the Royal visit. Upon returning to Kings Landing after the tour a raven was dispatched to Duskendale, requiring the Lord to come face trial for his disrespect to the Throne. This raven was ignored and armed men were sent to fetch the rebellious lord, who barred his gates and named Aerys a tyrant, and sent ravens to every great house in the land, asking for their support, citing the encroachment of tyrannical powers on the houses during the reign of Aerys.

Portrait of the traitor Lord, Denys of Duskendale, painted in 276, now stored away in in the Darklyn family archives by his brother, the faithful Lord Jon, who has disawoved his brothers rebellion.
Not avalible for public viewing.

The rebellion that followed were to last for over a year, being fought mainly around King's Landing, Hayford and the surroundings of Duskendale itself. Most of the houses soundly rejected Denys' call for rebellion, but some answered it. Notably Lord Perkin "the Fearless" of Hayford, who shared bonds of blood with the Darklyns, called his banners in support of the traitor. But the greatest threat would come from further away, as the Lord of the North, and the Lord of the Iron Isles both declared for Denys' cause, giving the rebels some semblance of hope. Still, it was short-lived.

Commanded by the Lord-Commander of the Kings Guard, Jeffory Norcross, the Royal Army proceeded to crush the traitor forces at Hayford before they could even assemble.

Portrait of Lord-Commander Jeffory "Neveryield" Norcross, 220-277 (Lord Commander 273-277). Displayed in a place of honour at the barracks of the Kingsguard in the Red Keep.

Outside the walls of the Dun Fort the loyalist forces would just a week later clash with the Darklyn forces, and in that battle Lord-Commander Joffrey would fall in battle. According to Lord-Commander Meryl Trant, who fought in that battle as a newly-inducted Kingguard, the man who struck him down was a knight in the Rykker contignent, but his identity were never ascertained and vengance could never be delievered.
The Royal forces would be rallied and held togheter through the actions of Morlan the Bold, who were later confirmed by the King as the new Lord-Commander of the Kingsguard.

Portrait of Morlan "the Bold" Armseal, 234-293 (Lord-Commander 277-293), portaying the battle of Duskendale where he earned his title.

While the King personally saw to the defenses of King's Landing itself the Royal Army, supported by forces from all the loyal great houses, would in turn beat back the Iron Islanders under the command of their Lord Quellon "Strongarm", and the armies of Lord Richard "the Righteous" of the North. The rebel forces never got the chance to gather, and were defeated one by one, unable to support eachother against the far superior forces of the crown loyalists. Victory was a done deal, but the stubborn defenders of the Dun Fort would hold out for another six months, while the defeated forces of the Iron Islanders after their retreat unsuccesfully laid siege to Seaguard, supported by the Starks. With the fall of the Dun Fort, and capture of Lord Denys in 278, however, all gusto would leave the rebels and Lord Quellon and Lord Richard both surrendered themselves, along with some minor rebel lords, to the Kings mercy.

But the war had cost the realm greatly. The hand of the King, Tywin Lannister, and the Master of Laws, Steffon Baratheon, were both slain in the fighting. Both men were childhood friends of King Aerys, and both the Stormlands and the Westerlands were now left rudderless, ruled by councils until their young children could take up the rule.

Lord Steffon Baratheon, 246-277, killed by an berserker of the Iron Isles during the battle of Shadowshield, and Lord Tywin Lannister, 242-277, killed by Helmand Tallheart of Edgewood, 3 months later, in a skirmish close to Rooks Rest.

Agreements were reached with the Iron Islanders. For a large sum of gold and a promise of support for the throne the rebellious sailor were released. Marriage pacts were made, and the fleets of the Iron Islands were set to protect, rather than prey upon the trade of the realm. This wise pact, which is upheld to this day, have had the reavers go from being a source of frustration and threat for the realm into it's greatest military assets, and the men of the Iron Islands have been at the forefront of every conflict the realm have been involved in since that day. Truely, if one were to pick just one thing that King Aerys contributed to the realm, the pacification of the Iron Islands would be his most meaninful contribution, and the entire realm is made richer, and safer for his wisdom.

Quellon "Strongarm" Greyjoy, 225-290, Lord of the Iron Islands, Master of Ships of the Iron Throne.

The Lord of the North, however, were unrepentant. He argued that the deference required before the throne by Aerys did not conform with the traditions of the realm. He were given a choice between kneeling, like his ancestor Torrhen had, or death. Refusing to yield, but fearful of his lands being taken from his family, a compromise were reached. Lord Richard would take the black and exile himself to the wall to guard against the menace from the far north, and his son Finn would rule in Winterfell. The North would pledge future support for the throne, and this deal would be sealed with a marriage pact, later called the Pact of Fire and Ice. This pact, too, still stands to this day, with the current Lord of the North being a Grandchild of Aerys, bearing the distinctive Targaryien colouring.

Richard Stark, 239-307. Lord of the North 272-278, Ranger of the Night's Watch until the day of his death.
Painted in 298, this painting shows him with Perkin Hayford, fellow ranger, who also chose to take the black at the end of the Defiance of Duskendale to spare his house the wrath of the King. Hung in the Hall of the Rangers, at Castle Black.

The Lords of the North.
Finn "Oakenfist", also known as "One-Arm", Lord of the North, 278-305, Master of Coin of the Iron Throne 280-284, and thereafter Hand of the King until his death, died without any progeny, leaving the throne of Winterfell to his brother, Arston, husband of Princess Gael, Lord 305-311, leaving the current Lord Ronnel, a mere infant, with Princess Gael Targaryen as regent of the North.

Matters of inheritance and succesion
​

The matter of the succession of King Aerys is a long a sordid tale, and though this is an official account and I will not repeat vile rumours and talltales told by fishmongers in the streets of King's Landing I will not shy away from the topic either, this work being an product of official endorsment from the small council of the regency of Queen Vaella, long may she reign.

Rhaegar was, by all accounts, always Aerys favourite. His tragic death left a void in the heart of the king which Vyseris, by all accounts, just could not fill. By no account by lack of trying though. Although not as fair, nor as clever as his brother the Prince had many good qualities. He was fair and just, although a little harsh, and as genorous as his father famously were. When he was denyied the lordship of Dragonstone on his adulthood, this opened a rift between father and son that would continue to grow and almost throw the entire realm into chaos.

On the assumption that this tome will be read by lords and scholars centuries in the future, for which this is ancient history, I shall recount the events that led up to the reign of Queen Vaella here, and may the Seven strike me down if I lie or omit.

Viserys, whom the King would derisivly call "The Prince of Fashion", were executed on the order of King Aerys on the 24th of Fifth Moon, A.C. 290, at the age of 24.

Prince Viserys Targaryen, heir-presumptive of the Iron Throne after the death of his elder brother, 263-290.

I, myself, was only eight at the time, and those who were around at that time are curiously tight-lipped, even to a prince and chronicler. Only the Kingsguard truely knows what happened, and they aren't talking. But from what is publically known I will recount.
The King and the Prince, along with their retainers, were returning to King's Landing after a tournament hosted by Lord Lydden in the Deep Den. The King famously had won both the joust and led his team to victory in the melee during that tournament, and is said to have been in a splendid mood. Something Vyseris said spoiled that mood, and a fight broke out between the two, and Viserys was expelled from the party. After he returned, on his own, to King's Landing the mood had not yet cooled off, and he was denounced by the King from the Iron Throne as he entered the throneroom, shouting obscenities. The Kingsguard took him down to the cells, and three days later he was publically beheaded before the walls of the Red Keep. The exact nature of the conflict might never be known to us. I will not speculate.

A great quiet settled over all the Seven Kingdoms in the day following the execution. It was unexpected, and everyone wondered, who was the new heir? I myself was the third son, but Viserys had two young sons too. Who would be chosen?

Now, here, I have to digress, for the benefit of the far future reader who do not know the details of my Lord Fathers "proclivities". As I'm sure history will record, the great King Aerys II had 13 children. What I am not so sure every source will mention is that the Queen was only mother to 5 of these.

Queen Rhaella Targaryen, sister and wife to Aerys II, 245-305. Called "The Tragic Queen", or "the Sleeping Dragon", she was mother to 5 of Aerys' 13 children.

The true-born daughters of Aerys II.
Shaera, the Silver Dragon, wife of Oberyn Martell, Master at Arms and Senechal at the Red Keep.
Gael, wife of Lord Arston the Just of the North, mother of Lord Ronell, and Regent of the North. Formerly Royal Antiquarian of the Red Keep.
Rhaella (268-302), wife of Lord Colmar of the Riverlands, mother to Eustache, his heir. Master of Whispers for the King until her death, and his favoured daughter.

The rest of us are fashionably called the "Royal bastards". My father was not a student of history it seems. The target audience for this tome will take my meaning.
In any case he did acknowledge many of us as his own, and gave us equal status before the law as his trueborn children. A common joke aimed any fair-haired child however is still to this day that they are a "secret royal bastard", and I am sure I have many more half-siblings than I know.

Most of the women who "contributed" to the royal household were commoners. Some were ladies of the court, other were, and pardon my Bravoosi, common whores my Lord Father picked up in his travels. My own mother is the exception to this, of course, she being the highborn lady Joanna Lannister, wife to Tywin the Lion and mother to Tywin the Young of Casterly Rock.

Joanna Lannister, 246-301, formerly Lady of Casterly Rock, widow of Tywin "the Lion" Lannister and mother to Tywin the Young. Widow of Steffon Tarth, my presumed father at birth, who dissapeared mysteriously shortly after the couple moved to King's Landing.

Now, with that out of the way, shortly before the execution of Viserys Aerys had taken as squire his grandson, Aemon, son of Visarys, and within a month ravens were sent out to inform the realm that the King confirmed Aemon as his new heir following the execution of his father.

The following 5 years were quit, barring a minor peasant rebellion in the North which had my father personally take the Royal Army north, into the Neck. But in 296 the troubles started. Aemon declared that he would refuse to marry his half-sister, Sylana, claiming it sullied his honour to marry a bastard, even an acknowleged one. I was there in the throneroom when it happened, and I heard the Kings exact words. "I shall bear the future reign of one darkhaired mutt, but you will marry Sylana so that future kings of the realm shall look the part of a divine Targaryen King, boy."

This reply did not go down well with the pridefull Aemon. It is true that he bore the dark hair of his Baratheon mother, just as I bear the red of my Lannister ancestors, and it seems that Aerys had decided that the bloodline were becoming to diluted, and the only silver-haired Targaryens he had were his bastard daughters. He would not bend on the issue, and soon Aemon had fled to Penthos. He was denounced, and made lawless within the realm, and Aerys turned his attention to his younger brother, Aegon. But he too would have the same objection to his bastard wife-to-be, and equally proud he would not bend. He died, at 15, falling off a horse, dead drunk while drowning his sorrows. Now attention fell of Aerys, Visary's youngest. After him, I would be next in line, I knew. Pardon me for getting personal in an historical account, but I was 17, my hair was red and I spoke Valyrian with a heavy accent as I hadn't been acknowledged until I was almost 7. I knew Aerys would never accept a mutt like me as heir, and I was old enough to know and be nervous about it. My upcoming marriage to Barena Baratheon suited his political interests, but beyond that he hadn't shown any interest in me for years at that point.

And at this point, in 299, the King recieved word from the wall. Prince Aemon had been found by a party of rangers, adventuring beyond the wall. He wished to reconcile, assuming he would get to marry Tinessa, the most beautiful of Aerys' royal bastards. And the king accepted these terms, and the two were reconciled. In Penthos, and beyond the wall, Prince Aemon had gone by "the fire of Targaryan" in an attempt to raise support for an invasion to replace his grandfather, and that would become his nickname going forward.

Spurred on by Aemons tales of adventure beyond the wall, a year later the King raised a host of 15 000 men and marched for the wall in support of Lord Hoster who was waging war beyond the wall for revenge. I have never been able to learn what percieved slight by some heathen chiftain would make him march beyond the wall, but there he was, and he called on the King for aid, and the king answered.

Many speculate on what exactly the king thought about as he looked into the vast wilderness he and his 15 000 men had commited to marching into, but none shall ever know.

The point was moot however. The King himself, about an week in advance of the main force of his army arrived to the wall, and were met with a messege, delivered by raven to the maester of the wall. A man calling himself Aegon Blackfyre had landed with 10 000 men in the Vale.

The 7th Blackfyre Rebellion and the short reign of Aemon,
First of his name,
Lord of the Seven Kingdoms
King of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men
Protector of the Realm
​

With all due haste Aerys turned his army around at Last Hearth and marched south. By second moon, 301, the King recieved word that two of his youngest children had died to the fever dubbed "Aerys fire". By third moon, the king himself, and half his Kingsguard were beset as well. By fourth moon he recieved word that fighting had begun in the Riverlands, Dorne and the Reach with traitorous houses siding with the supposed Blackfyre pretender. And by fifth moon, the King were dead, while on the march through the Neck, fighting off raids by Crannogmen who had defied the Starks, who were firmly on the side of Aerys, and had sided with Aegon Blackfyre.

King Aerys II, 243-301, King 270-301. A figure of controversy and a legend for the ages.

The King may be dead, but the war was not over. Aemon had 15 000 armed men already on the march, and ravens coming in every day of great Lords confirming their loyalty. He was not about to roll over. He shaved his head, in a sign mourning the less wise say, though those of us who know the mind of King Aerys, well, we know the real reason why.

He called his banners to gather at the Twins, and from there to march south, as reports had the main enemy force located in the south. At the twins he met up with loyal forces of the Riverlanders, Northerners, Iron Islanders, Westermen and Valemen. He roused the lords with a now legendary speech, which was for to long to record in this text but which you surely can find a copy of in any well-stocked library, and marched south, skirmishing with the traitorous house of Bracken along the way, and finally cornering their forces at Harroway and destroying them utterly.

At Summerhall they linked up with loyalists from the Reach and Dorne. The main force of the army of the traitors were made up of the armies of Dorne, but the southern houses of Qorgoth, Uller, Vaith and Gargaylen had rallied at Summerhall as commanded. The other main contignent contignent were those of the Hightowers, Tarlys and the Vyrvels of the Reach, but the scouts had lost track of them as they vanished into the Dornish passes and their whereabouts were unknown.

At the battle of Blackhaven the main force of Dorne were utterly destroyed, with Prince Jayme being captured. Just a week later, at Heelmouth the main Reachman-force appeared, alongside with the forces of Aegon himself from Essos, and they too were defeated and driven back. As the armies scattered word reached Aemon that Aegon had been killed by a Lord Walcher of Sunrise Bite, a knight and lord of the Vale, in a smaller skirmish as the fleeing traitors attempted to re-organize for a defense south of Wyl, and that the traitors were willing to all lay down their arms in exchange for amnesty. Aegon would not accept this, but he had been less than a year at the throne and the small council ordered the amnesty accepted, The only exception were to be Prince Jaime of Dorne, who appeared to have had a central role in the rebellion, and who was sent to the wall. All other traitors recieved amnesty on condition of immidiate surrender. And so it was.

But not a year later Aemon once again called the banners. He had a taste for war, blood and adventure, and he invaded the stepstones to exterminate the presence of the Pirate-King Aegon who was responsible for many raids of coastal towns and villages.

The Pirate-King Aegon, who ruled the Stepstones and the southern seas from 292-303. Formerly and underling of Maelys the Monstrous, he consolidated his powers over the pirate-lords of the Stepstones over decades before finally rising to the position of Pirate-King. Executed at order of the Small Council at 30th, Elevent Moon, 303.

Leading the fleet attacking the Stepstones was Adrian Strongarm, Lord of Claw Island and Master of Ships. The bulk of the forces of the campaign were from the Iron Isles and Stormlands, with the forces of Dorne making a large contribution, their new Prince being eager to prove his loyalty after his fathers rebellion.

However, the campaign would prove a disaster for the Targaryen family. Lady Daenarys, sister of the King and wife to Lord Randyll of Gulltown would be slain during the battle of Maidens Bed. Although the Ironborn would come in an save the battle, the life of Daenarys were lost.

What was worse though, is that at the battle of Tiger Island the King himself would fall.

King Aemon, "The Fire of Targaryen"
Son of Visarys Targaryen, grandson of Aerys II
280-303, king 301-303
Father of Queen Vaella

This triggered an immidiate and obvious political crisis. Who would be the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms? Aemon had but a single child, a daughter, a babe of 1. The small council convened to discuss.

There emerged three camps. Quickly dubbed the "Divinists", the "Legalists" and the "Realists" by many, they argued their positions.

The Divinists were headed by Princess Tinessa, the Dowager Queen, and presumed Regent to Queen Vaella, should the great houses accept her, and supported by the High Septon, arguing that if the child currently in her womb, the second child of Aemon as yet unborn, were male, that was a sign from the Father that the main line of the Targaryens, and thus Vaella and her presumed future brother would co-rule as husband and wife upon reaching adulthood.

The Legalists, named so because they were headed by Lord Hoster of the Riverlands, Master of Laws, also argued for the coronation of the babe Vaella, but on the basis of legal precedent. They argued the position that since Aemon had no living brothers, his youngest brother Aerys having died in a fever the same year he ascended to the throne primogeniture was the rule, despite there being two living male princes of Aerys still alive. And despite that excluding me, personally, in favour of my little niece, I cannot disagree, myself being a scholar of law the argument is sound.

The Realists argued for me, and I will not pretend to be unbiased here, but they argued that a child of 1 simply cannot rule. These arguments held little sway in the small council, who forsaw two decades of unlimited power should a child sit on the throne. Instead it was championed by my nephew, Lord Stafford of Casterly Rock, who sent missives stating his intent to raise an army to press my claim. Of course then he had his accident, and now he can reportedly not even take care of himself in the outhouse without help anymore. Funny how things work out.

Lord Stafford of Casterly Rock had an unfortunate accident, and is now incapable of ruling, with his wife ruling in his stead. Very convenient.


Now for you, dear presumed reader, maybe in the far future, this is all ancient history. But for me, this is literarly yesterday. With the birth of Prince Aemon, and the loss of the greatest supporter of the Realists, the Divinists in the council, along with the Legalists under the new Master of Laws, Lord Jarret of the Vale, on this day, 8th of 8th Moon, 312, have finally declared that Vaella, First of her Name, Lady of the Seven Kingdoms, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men and Protector of the Realm will be named Queen-Regent, and co-rule with her younger brother once she reaches adulthood. There is no more opposition. No more debate. It is fact.

The Gods preserve us. And our glorious Queen of course. Any rumours that she is just a puppet of the small council is nonsense of course. She rules by divine will, who could deny it?

Queen Vaella and King Aemon II, 312, in the great hall of the Red Keep, being proclaimed Sovreign Rulers of the Seven Kingdoms, after much legal and religious debate over the last 9 years.

"Prince Maekar..."

"Lord Hand. Maester Vardis. You summoned me?"

"We have... reviewed you account... on behalf of the crown. You are no doubt a skilled writer. And a scholar... despite your young age. We would like to thank you for your service to the little Queen. And of course I am personally thankful that you omitted... well... My role during the Defiance. It's not something I am proud of, of course. Mistakes were made."

"... A pleasure, of course, Lord hand...."

"We will no doubt call on your services and judgement again. Pray tell, is this the only copy? I will see that it is copied otherwise."

"It is indeed, Lord Hand."

"Good... good. Keep up the good work lad. By the way... You also omitted where his nickname amongst the common folk, "Aerys the Dirty" came from. I have always wondered about that, to be honest..."

"Lets not speak of that Lord Hand. It is not a subject for polite society. I have heard the tale of what he did to earn that name, and it is best not spoken of. Trust me..."

"Well, well... alright."

"Lord Hand. Did you confirm it to be the only copy?"

"Yes, my Lady. He trusts we will send copies to the Citadel for copying within the week."

"Good... good."

"Boys... I have a task for you. Keep it quiet. Tell no one, alright?"

"Of course Que... eh... Lady Regent. What would you have us do?"

"Prince Maekar... By order of the Queen, you are to come with us."

"Lord Commander...? Is something the issue?

"..."

"Lord Commander?"

"Just come with us quietly."

"Mother... Have you seen uncle Maekar? I haven't seen him in days."

"Oh my dear girl. Uncle Maekar is doing a very important job, for all the realm. He won't be coming back to the castle any more, because the job he does now is very, very, important. He is keeping us all safe. Your uncle is a true hero."

"Well... Fuck..."

 

[HistoryDude]

Is Maekar dead or imprisoned? Given the title of the AAR, will he be a Procopius-like figure, who wrote an official history (what we just read) and secret histories with... juicier tales?

It's nice to see an AGOT AAR start with Aerys.

Who is the Lord Hand, and what was his role in the Defiance of Duskendale?

Did Aerys's affair with Joanna start before Tywin's death?

 

[Kashked]

Is Maekar dead or imprisoned? Given the title of the AAR, will he be a Procopius-like figure, who wrote an official history (what we just read) and secret histories with... juicier tales?

Maekar got sent to the wall, as seen in the last picture. As Princess Tinessa said, he is doing a very important job for the realm.
It really hurt her too, Prince Maekar wasn't just her brother, he was her friend too. But I felt she had to earn the title "the She-Dragon". Doing whatever it took to defend Queen Vaella's position, even if it meant hurting those she loved.

The "secret" part of the histories is that the book is never published, it is burned by the Lord Hand and the Grand Maester. First I was thinking of writing the official account, and then add in a second, secret account, but I ended up writing it all up in the same story when I realised how it all would seem from Maekar's position after the death of King Aemon. If the game modeled AGOT just a little bit better one would assume there would be a great council or something, rather than a 1-year old girl inheriting, and Maekar, despite being a bastard, would be among the top candidates.
Instead we get the tyranny of the small council and regent. Him being bitter over that, and with Lord Stafford who was ready to push his claim having his "unfortunate accident", which I actually didn't cause, I assume it was an random harm event, I decided to change it so what started out as the official account got banned when it touched a little to close to the current political situation.

Who is the Lord Hand, and what was his role in the Defiance of Duskendale?

That was Tywin. He supported the King, of course, but ended up dead for it.

Did Aerys's affair with Joanna start before Tywin's death?

Depends on how you mean... Aerys and Tywin were close. Real close. During his royal tour Tywin let him... "try her out". Just as in the books Aerys was always interested in her, but in the game they are soulmates. He couldn't seduce her until Tywin died. I did try at a couple of events, as those can bypass "loves her husband", but didn't manage it while he was alive. Fortunatly she didn't have much affection for her second husband and Aerys invited the couple to court after he romanced her, and a few months later her second husband mysteriously dissapeared. Funny how things work out.

It's nice to see an AGOT AAR start with Aerys.

Yeah. I really like the whole "what if Aerys didn't go mad?"-thing. Mod updated though, so I had to re-start. I'm still in the reign of Aerys in that new game so I might do another alternate story from that playthrough.

 

[Kashked]

So this isn't a continuation of the previous story. New game, new timeline. This one is written from the perspective of Tywin, who I didn't play, but I found his perspective to be the most interesting.
Now, my take on Tywin's character here probably differs from the books/show. Remember, this is a different timeline, a different Tywin. He still have the same basic personality, but in this timeline he is a diehard Targaryen loyalist, as his conflict with Aerys never happened. He is still very concerned with his own family, and his own power, of course, but still, supremely loyal to the Targaryen line. To make a modern example, he is basically a fascist. He believes in the state, the crown, and holds a great personal love for Aerys, but he views himself first and foremost as a servant of the state. So politically he is a lot more "modern" than your average feudal lord in that he percieves the Iron Throne, and the realm of the Seven Kingdoms not just as the personal fief of the Targaryens, but as something that has value and agency in itself. Above all, he values stability and prosperity. He wants a good king who shares those values, and for this reason he pens this secret account, as advice to the young king he serves after the death of Aerys.

I should also note that I am playing with a new mod, AGOT: Immersive Warfare: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3297989948

Basically you get zero levies except from your duke-level de jure vassals. As King of the Iron throne I have 6000 men currently. But I can "call the banners", and all my vassals will get to decide wheter to support me or not. It's a much better representation of warfare in AGOT than vanilla, and honestly feudal warfare overall. Previously I've used More Interactive Vassals, which is somewhat similar in a way, but doesn't go as far. I'd recomend anyone playing AGOT to try out the mod! It's not perfect, the AI is very bad at measuring exactly how powerful someone is, so sometimes it declares stupid wars. But honestly, I've been craving stupid wars. The vanilla AI is way too clinical. It knows when it will lose so it does nothing. This creates a bit of chaos which I like.
The only thing I dislike is that there isn't even an opinion pentalty for not answering the call currently, but it's in the pipeline as this is a very new mod, so it will develop with time.

I'm also using Alliances reborn: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3297210758
This does a lot of weird shit with alliances... Basically it makes it so the Riverlands wont let an army sworn to the Westerland waltz in to support one of their allies in the Riverlands without a response. It creates the potential for small local conflicts to escalate, on every level. Another great one for adding a bit of chaos.

My Wisdom for my beloved liege
By: Lord Tywin Lannister, Lord of Casterly Rock & Hand of the King,
Lord Regent of the Seven Kingdoms

​

My lord and King, Vaegon, if you read this I am dead. Perhaps the relentless march of time have caught up to me. Mayhaps I will fall in battle in defence of the realm and your rule. Perhaps I will be slain in the night by your enemies. But no matter which, I will no longer be there to advise you, so I will record here my final advise for you, in the event of my death before you reach maturity and my time as your warden and regent comes to it's end. No doubt, if you do read this in your adult years, and the Gods have been kind and left me by your side until your maturity, much of this I will already have imparted to you, so forgive any repetitions.

As I write this it is Fifth Moon, A.C. 397, and you are a mere 7 years old, having been crowned as King two years ago, after the unfortunate death of you grandfather, the Great Aerys II, "The Silver Flame". I have seen you gaze upon his portrait many times, and he deserves your reverance, my King, for he was a great man. Just not, and forgive me for saying it, a great King.

Aerys II, 243-295, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First men and Protector of the Realm, ruled 274-295.

I will tell you the truth of it, for I believe it will make you a better king one day. For the 20 years of your grandsire's reign he did not take part in it's rule except when it suited his whims. He drained the treasury by arranging extravagant feast, hunts and tourneys. He prosecuted personal vendettas at expense of the crown. He probably had more mistresses than he had knights in his court.

And he was beloved by all.

For such is the nature of the noble class that they do not appriciate good governance, peace and prosperity, but they love glory, they love the extravagance of a king who acts like he is the hero of a bad romance book. Meanwhile I was holed up in the tower of the Hand, trying to pay for it all.

I loved your grandfather, with all my heart. He was my friend for all of his life. I would gladly have laid down my life for him. But his ways did not make the realm stronger. He did not see himself as a servant of the crown, he viewed himself as the personification of the crown. The Throne is greater than the man who sits upon it. This you must understand if you are to become a great king one day.

The Blackfyres never understood this, which is why they never, despite five attempts, ever could take the throne. They thought Kingship came from a magic sword and an ancestral claim, not from the ability to govern and maintain stability.

The execution of Maelys the Monstrous, captured at the battle of Pikerock in the Estermont Isles in A.C. 260, during the fifth Blackfyre rebellion.

In truth, the best king we have seen in recent years was probably your great-grandfather, Jahearys II.

Jahearys II, ruled for just over a year as king of the Seven Kingdoms, in 273-274.

Now I suspect that most histories will forever relegate the reign of Jahearys II to a footnote. But as I served as his master of coin I will tell you this. Had Jahearys been allowed by the Gods to live for another 20 years and reach old age, and Aerys had had his example to live by for longer, the realm would have been better off for it. Had Aerys been a mature man of 40 who had served as master of laws at his fathers court for 20 years much of the wasted potential of the realm could have been utilized for better means. For the same amount Jahearys spent on building the Dune Road, which forever will bring prosperity and utility to the realm, Aerys held a wedding, bringing glory only unto himself, personally. He wasted vast amounts of money on propagating the tales of his tourney victories and building statues and shrines dedicated only to himself. Had I not been there holding the reins of the treasury and held the love and respect of your grandfather the realm would have been ruined. Jahearys listened to me. I told him that extending the royal roads all the way to sunspear would be expensive, but worth it, and he heeded my advise. A good king listens to his advisors.
Now, my king, what I have said so far may be controversial within the realm, but what I now must tell you must remain a secret, or it might spark civil strife and war within the realm. I tell you only so that you might take from it that as a king you will need to temper your wants with the needs of the realm.
It all started when Lord Brus, the young Lord Paramount of the Stormlands, arrived with his brother Steffon, who were to serve as squire to King Aerys. Arriving at the same time were my own daughter Shierle, who was to be tutored by the grand Measter at the Red Keep. Steffon and Shierle were bethrothed to be married, but I knew Aerys mind the moment he laid eyes upon her. I had seen that same look in his eyes a thousend times, when he looked at everything from barmaids to noble courtiers and I knew it meant trouble.

Lord Steffon was killed by brigands on his way home to Storms end 2 years later, a mere 6 months before the marriage were to be arranged. Aerys confided much to me, but he never admitted he had a hand in it, and had I not been there that day not even I would suspect foul play from the king. He loved Lord Brus as a brother, and had him serve as master of coin for over 10 years. The Baratheons were seen as the firmest allies of the Targaryens. But your grandfather would prove his deviousness later and I cannot shake the idea that he killed Steffon so that he himself might marry Shierle, he himself having been widowed when his sister was murdered two years earlier. I was among the envoys sent out to find him a suitable wife but none were found that suited him until he saw Shierle. The marriage had been arranged by King Aegon V himself to tie togheter the crown, the Westerlands and the Stormlands and bring greater stability to the realm, but I suspect Aerys cared not for that. He only saw a girl fit to be his queen, and he knew he had to have her.

Soon therafter the marriage were arranged. It was the most costly wedding in the history of the realm in fact. I know it was, I had to come up with the funds for it. Out of curiosity I looked into my predecessors archives, and indeed, no king has ever spent as much on his wedding.

Now, I will say that Aerys loved my daughter very much, and treated her well. Yes, he had mistresses at the side, but he kept it mostly discreet, I will not hold that against him. And it did make my life in the Red Keep just a little easier, I think, to have family there.

"Grandfather Lion" they would call me. My daughter didn't always welcome it. She was always somewhat self-concious that Maelys, Baelor and Daemion favoured their Lannister side in appearance, and did not want to have Aerys start to think of his children as anything other than true Targaryens. But do not fear my lord, your uncles are all Fire and Blood, trust me.

As is Princess Cerelle. My granddaughter will make you a fierce queen one day, I am sure.

But let me tell you of you parents, as I know you never knew them.

Now this is a sordid and sad tale. I am sure you have, and will hear versions of it. I ask you, do not resent your grandfather for it. I may have pointed out his flaws and his mistakes as a king and a man, but he truley was a great man, but the Velaryon business will, I fear, forever spoil his image.

In 283 your uncle, Rheagar Wildfire, was Prince of Dragonstone. The prince was popular, and in many ways like his father, I fear his ascension to the throne would have kept things going the same way as under Aerys. But Lucerys Valerion led an uprising against him and proclaimed himself Lord Paramount of Dragonstone in an unprecedented move.

And while the case were argued in courts of law between representatives of the crown and the Velaryons, myself in my role as Lord High Justiciar and Hand of the King included, you grandfather took rash action and had Lucerys murdered. I advised him against it, but he would not budge. He also refused Lucerys pledge of alliegence when he came to the Red Keep. Likewise he refused his brother Lord Addam, who was also murdered, as was his son Matarys, as was lady Alearys of Claw Isle who had supported Lucerys' coup. War and vendetta seemed inevitable.

But then Rhaegar died of the pox, and the same pox killed his son, who was also called Rhaegar, and that entire line was wiped out of the succesion. Instead you father, Aemond, a man who was never supposed to be king, ended up as the Prince of Dragonstone. A peace was settled, if Daenarys Valeryon would marry him, uniting Dragonstone and High tide under a united Targaryen-Valeryon dynasty. Meanwhile peace was settled with Claw Isle with the marriage of your uncle Devyn to lady Eldera Bar Emmon who had inherited the lordship after the line of the Celtigars had been ended by Aerys.

To put it blunty, your grace, your grandfather won. He replaced the ancient houses of Valeryon and Celtigar, who had served your line since before the fall of Valyria, with his own family. But what manner of victory is this? He demonstrated to his vassals that they are replacable, forever, in my eyes, hurting the covenant between the crown and the great houses.
But to be fair, he also demonstrated that you can not rise up against a Prince of the Crown, no matter how well you hide behind the law. I am of two minds. Aerys demonstrated a ruthless dedication, but at the same time he eliminated two houses that were symbolically important to the crown and the history of the Realm. The fallout of this will be felt in coming generations.

For now, all this is left of the once mighty Velaryon dynasty is the lady of Silverhorse, of a minor branch of the family, who swears fealty to the upstart Valagars.

Ah, yes, the Valagars. I can not say I approve of their station. Rhogar the Squanderer was a truely weak lord of the Velaryons who granted their scion, Monford, the Velaryon ancestral hold of Driftmark. He was forced to abdicate to his son, but the damage was already done. I have not been able to learn what Rhogar's reasoning was, but the words of the Valagars are "Silent daggers, swift swords". I fear there might be a hint there. I implore you my liege, do not put your trust in the Valagars. They are upstars and rebels

Jacaerys, who is the last living member of the main branch of the family who survived the purge, a younger brother of Lucerys, was promised to Aleyna Bar Emmon. Last I heard with Lord Benethon his family still intends to honour the bethrothal, but Ser Jacaerys is said to be adventuring beyond the wall. I have sent ravens to the wall to ask the rangers to keep a look out for him, but I fear that he dreads my intentions, and he have chosen not to repond when offered to return to the realm under oath of hospitality. Mayhap he will return to fulfill his marital obligation, if he isn't killed by the savages before that. I think there would be a symbolic victory if my lord, if given the chance, would return the Velaryons their ancestral lands. But then again, I have taken great personal satisfaction in restoring the citadel of High Tide which now is under my Kings charge, and I intend to also restore the town of Spicemarket to it's former Glory, and keeping those lands directly under the control of the crown has clear advantages as well. If nothing else I advise you unseat the Valagars and return Driftmark, atleast, to the Valeryons.

But now, to the sorry tale of your parents, who you never knew. Your father, Aemond, I am sorry to say, would not have made a good king. He was a great swordsman, but he was known to be quite mad. I will not say I am glad for his death, but I hope you, my King, will be far better for the realm than he would have been. Tales of his death are told but the blunt truth is this, he had his arm ripped off by a buck. He was an inexperienced hunter, he overvalued his prowess, and he paid the price, 3 months before your birth.
Your grandfather, died equally ungloriously. People say that the infected wound that killed him was from the tourney at Storms End. I tell you, this is a lie. You grandfather foolishly let a magican quench a sword in his blood, and it was the wound from that bloodletting that got infected and killed him. Father and son, both died from the same thing, hybris. Do not let your bravery and bravado be your death as well. This is my warning to you.

Your mothers tale is even more sordid. After the death of your father, and your own birth, she was promised to your uncle, my grandson Maelys, the new Prince of Dragonstone as you were yet to be born when your father died, it passed to his brother. But when she became pregnant by the Lord Paramount of the Vale, your grandfathers patience ran thin and he charged her with fornication, a crime he would usually forgive in his vassals. She was beheaded outside the walls of the Red Keep, and her titles seized. You were less than a year old.

Do you remember when you were 5, and I took you to an execution?
I imagine it will be one of your first memories. I ordered the execution, a scheeming courtier, nothing serious, but such can not be ignored, as it was under Aerys. I wanted you to see that. To truely know the consequenses of your decicions as king. Aerys always ignored that. He let known fornicators and schemers walk freely one day, and imprisoned them the next day. There must be consistency and consequence in the administration of the law or the realm will suffer. I hope to make you emulate Aerys at his best, but differ from him at his worst. That is the lesson.


Now, regarding the lords of the realm, I have advise to impart for you there as well.

You can trust in the support of the Westerlands, even in the event of my death. My sons and grandsons will see to that. Our families are blood-kin now, this is a bond that will last for generations. Your grandfather greatly favoured the Westerlands, and we repay that with loyalty.

I know you admire your uncle Maelys immensly. And he is a great man. Or boy still. Knighted at age 12, by a knight of the kings guard no less, I have seldom heard of such a thing.

He is my grandson, and I love him. But the day will come when you have sons of your own, and in the traditions of your house that means they shall be granted Dragonstone. Where the prince now resides. He can't help have his mind set on the throne, I fear. He is immensly intelligent, and beautiful, combining the best features of our two great houses. He will be either your staunchest ally and greatest advisor, or he will be the greatest threat your reign will ever face. Treat him with caution and respect, or the realm will fracture in a manner not seen since the Dance of the Dragons.

If I have the measure of Lord Mace, he will support your reign. Your uncle Baelor, my ward and grandson, has been promised to his daughter. The Reach will support you.

The Riverlands is a complex place my lord. For now Lord Hoster supports you, and his son Mathis is his fathers' son. Their oaths will hold should it come to that. But know that concessions were made to the Riverlands in your minority, concessions I am not happy with but were forced to give. And the inheritance of Harrenhal is sure to cause strife, as it is currently possesed by the mother of Lord Brus of the Stormlands. Should he inherit it I can not see peace lasting between the lands of the Rivers and the Lands of Storms. You will have to take great care to manage that situation, or the realm will be plunged into war between two of it's greatest houses.
I forsee great strife within the Riverlands within our lifetime.

Prince Doran is a snake. Luckily for you, he is YOUR snake. Put your trust in Dorne my Lord. I believe their loyalty is a given.

The Stormlands is ever unrestful. The enimity between Lord Brus and Lady Johanna is legendary. You can trust in their blades, assuming they aren't fighting eachother at the crucial moment, but the situation is unstable. Lord Selwyn of Tarth is a great stabilizing force within that realm, but he is aging, and we may yet see fighting flare up, as it has done 3 times in 2 generations. Their future lord takes after his mother to a worrying degree. Do not count on the stability of the Stormlords to uphold your realm.

The Vale is in a sorry state. Cortney is a sorry excuse for a lord. But he is married to your aunt, and he is an Arryn. They hold to their honour. I believe he would honour his wows should it come down to it. What help he would actually be able to render is another matter.

The North I would not concern myself with. Their oath is their bond. As long as you don't interfer in their matters they will come when called. Sometimes I even forget they are part of the Seven Kingdoms.

The Iron Islands are a complicated matter. Lord Rodrick of Harlaw, Castellan to Lord Paramount Sam, is a stabilizing force, but their savage religion and zealous priests egg them on, and they are ever a thorn in the side of the Throne.

The marriage of Princess Daena, your aunt, bound those islands to our royal cause tightly, and it is said that it was a truely happy marriage, but her unfortunate death in childbirth have cooled Lord Sam's feeling towards the mainland since. Sam and his heir are now no kin to you, but rather the most likely source of a direct uprising against the throne. Walk carefully around the Iron Islanders my lord.​

As for lords closer to you, right here in the Crownlands, you can trust Lord Beron of Deerfield. He is your uncle, though he does not know it. His blood calls to his loyalty. But tell no one of this, not even the lord himself.
Stokeworth always supports the crown, that is a given.
Denys, you loyal Master at Arms is a snake. Just as with Lord Duran in Dorne that is all well and good as long as he is our snake, but I would not trust him.
Rosby is no friend of the crown. I have had interactions with him since he was a boy of 19, Lord Gyles have hampered the crown at every opportunity. Do not trust him.
And finally there is Lord Harmer Massey, whose alliegence shifts with the wind. If thing ever get tough, he will be your enemy, but if all is well, he will play along as your trustworthy ally.

The rest of the minor lords are of little consequense. Keep the Gaunts on your side. They are loyalist to the core after Aerys named both brothers of Lord Matthos to the Kingsguard.

They even changed two of the lances in their sigil to white to reflect this historic occasion for the house.

Their current lord is more unreliable than Lord Matthos, but I think you can appeal to tradition with him still.

And with that, this is all I can say for now. We face an uncertain situation. There are 7 princes, 5 of them trueborn. Two of them have armies of their own at their command. The Ironborn are restless, the Stormlands is in upheaveal and Harrenhal is set to land under it's dominion, and there are now rumours of another Blackfyre in Essos. I do hope that I will give this text personally one day, long after it loses all relevance, and we can have a laugh about my worries and see how my predictions panned out. But if that does not happen, just know that though you are not of my blood, I will always consider you as my son.

Your honoured servant
Tywin Lannister
10th of Fifth Moon, A.C. 297​

 

[Kashked]

In the Aftermath of the sixth Blackfyre rebellion, Lord Janos Lannister, master of coin of the Iron thrones, meets with his father, the Lord Hand​

"Well father, I am glad to report that the war was cheaper than expected. With all expenses accounted for we even made a small profit from I would say. After loot and ransoms are counted."

With a glare Lord Tywin responds...

"Cheap?" CHEAP!?"

"What of the noble princess Shaera? What of your uncle, Gerold? Are their lives not costly?"

"This war was an idiotic exercise in waste. That is what it was. Nothing was gained. Much was lost. Half the nobility of the realm has been decimated. And for what? Another boy with a magic sword appears on the coast and all these idiots, fools and braggarts take up arms. Our coast has been hit by pirates from the Iron Islands with none there to defend them. Entire houses are on the verge of extinction.

No, my boy. The war was not cheap. And even worse... I was wrong. I was wrong about so many things. Read this..."

"I wrote this three years ago, for King Vaegon, in the event of my death. A death I feel coming ever closer, my wounds from Thimble still cause me great pain. I fear they will be my undoing."

"Father... there are some rather... shocking... revelations, in this text. Is it really wise to keep it?"

"Burn it. It is a testament to my ignorance. They had us all fooled... The Hightowers... The Vyrwels, the Brackens and the God-damned Martells most of all. I took Duran for the kings creature. A steady ally in the south I thought. I considered suggesting him for my replacement were I to die. Can you imagine the catastrophe that would have been!? The royal gossip in that text does not concern me. But my vast ignorance that it shows... that makes me afraid... and ashamed. I need the milk. Would you fetch it for me, my boy?"

"Again? Haven't you already had some this evening?"

"When you have taken a dornish scimitar over the face I will let you lecture me boy... bring me the milk."

"Much better... muuuch better..."

"There was one more matter father... The final payments for the restoration of Spicetown have been transfered over to Drifmark. And Lord Jacaerys have sent his thanks for the return of Seafoam... I must ask... Why did the crown do this? Why did YOU do this? The cost of restoring Spicetown and High Tide, and for what? To turn it over to a former vagrant whose brother raised arms against the Prince of Dragonstone?"

"Itsh's a symbol my boy... a symbol of stability. The Velaryons have alwaysh been lordsh of Driftmarch. I want it to schtay that way... it feelsh good... y'know? They do still pay taxesh too. They get risch, the crown profitsch... Now I need to schleep..."

"One last thing before your bedtime.... I thought you'd like to know. Your grandson have arrived at the wall. His wife... former wife... I guess, arrived in the red keep yesterday. Appearantly she is pregnant..."

...

 

[Killcrazy13]

Interesting take on Tywin. Seems like the Iron Throne has no friends it can call upon.

 

[Kashked]

Interesting take on Tywin. Seems like the Iron Throne has no friends it can call upon.

He ended up dying less than a year later... Officially from his wounds. But he was at stress level two, which would have contributed. I did notice later that he killed the lord of Gaemon's Tower in battle, which means that at some point during the Blackfire rebellion he fought in the same battle, but on opposite sides to, his grandson Prince Maelys who sided with the Blackfyres. Mealys was killed fighting wildlings 4 months before Tywins death. He was also rivals with Joanna, his wife, in this timeline.

He ended up a really tragic figure, but a great hand of the kind. With his God-level of stewardship vassal taxes was improved over 50% when set to negotiate with vassals, which he spent more than 25 years doing.

He was also wrong about the north and the Reach, who both were neutral during the rebellion. Even Stokeworth and Rosby stayed neutral. The Riverlands and the Vale were true though. In pure numbers it was actually pretty close, something like 175 000 for the rebels and 190 000 for the loyalists, but the loyalist forces were more concentrated to the center of the realm and combined their forces better, letting me defeat them in smaller batches. It was really cool playing with the Immersive warfare mod. I only directly controlled 12 000 men, so I had to make sure I had my allies backing me for every battle.

And spoiler... Vaegon didn't turn out like he had desired...

 

[Kashked]

A note... This piece assumes the Maester-conspiracy theory is correct. For anyone who haven't heard about it it's a very popular fan-theory, bordering on canon, that the maesters have conspired for thousands of years to remove all magic from the world. They were for example responsible for, through some unknown means, the weakening of the Targaryen stock of dragons, and their eventual extinction. It's a bit of a rabbit-hole but there are plenty of videos on Youtube for anyone who want to dive into it... But basically the theory is that the Maesters is trying to kill magic. For this reason they oppose primarily the Targaryens. They want the world to forget the dragons, Valyria, and magic. Myself, I would assume they would also oppose other magic. Greenseers, Red Priests, Skinchangers, etc. So they might oppose the Starks in rediscovering their old ways, the Blackwoods from discovering why their tree is REALLY dead (assuming they dont), whatever it is the Royce's remember that everyone else has forgotten, that kind of stuff.
Now, the Maesters aren't a monolithic entity. In the canon story we have Marwyn the Mage, of course, and not every Maester could possibly be involved. The conspiracy have to be kept by a small number of Maesters, and they probably doesn't wield absolute power even within the citadel. So this story contains one Grand Maester who is not part of it, one who is sympathetic but not on the "inside", and finally, our author, Grand Maester Leorald, who is involved up to his ears.

This account is a summary of what he has learned about the Targaryens and their actions during the reign of King Vaegon, Tywins ward from the last account, and his interpretation of it, from the perspective of a relative newcomer to the Royal court, although one with access to a lot of records and people who were there, as well as a personal network of informants and agents.
Some of his information is incomplete, other is just plain wrong, but most of it is true. Leorald is a devious bastard, although he has dedicated his life to fighting a millenia long war that most people don't even know they are part of, so he would seem somewhat eccentric to others.

Summary report on the reign of King Vaegon, A.C. 295-352
For the secret archives of the Conclave
By: Grand maester Leorald
Fourth Moon, A.C. 353 ​

Dear colleagues of the Conclave. It falls upon me to write the final report evaluating the reign of the late king Vaegon, for the benefit of our order. This text is to be kept in the secret archives, as it is the uncensored version. My scribes are assigned to write the offical account as I write this, to be kept in the open library.

King Vaegon, technically, began his reign in 295, although at the time he was a boy of 7, and for the first 7 years of his reign the realm was ruled by Tywin Lannister, his regent, guardian and Hand of the King.
Although his regent was famously capable and managed the Kingdom well he did fail at one critical task. Raising the young boy. As a child Vaegon was noted for his athleticism and bravery, but he was a weird child, paranoid and lazy. And as he grew up the signs of his madness became more and more appearant. He was capricious, moody, and tended to isolate himself from others. He had violent moodswings and was unpredictable.

When the King was 12 years old Aegon Blackfyre appeared with his host, and the realm was plunged into rebellion and war. Unlike the fifth Blackfyre rebellion of Maelys the Monstrous, Aegon recieved widespread support. Many houses rose in support of his claim. The Hightowers, Tarlys, Meadows and Vyrvels of the Reach, the Brackens and Peages of the Riverlands, the Dustins and the Lockes of the North, house Hersy of the Vale as well as the Sistermen, and house fell of the Kingswood, as well as several minor houses. The bulk of the rebels were of Dorne however, only houses Santagar and Gargalen were true to the crown, the rest followed their Prince Duran into battle for the Blackfyre cause. Notably Prince Maelys, the Prince of Dragonstone and the King's uncle, who had inherited that title while King Vaegon was still in his mothers womb, would side with the rebels, perhaps fearful that Dragonstone would be taken from him when the King reached his majority and had sons of his own.

On the side of the loyalists the Westerlands, Riverlands and the Vale joined with most vigour, along with most houses of the Crownlands. with the notable abscence of Stokeworth and Rosby.

The royal forces led by the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Armond Puredon defeated the divided rebel forces coming in from the north, south and west and in the battles of Silversword, Hornbrock and Thimble the rebel forces were beaten as they attempted to assemble. The war would culminate in the slaughter at Summersfield, where 18 000 rebels would be slaughtered, reportedly the loyalist forces would only sustain roughly 350 casulties, and with that the remaining rebels laid down their arms and Aegon surrendered himself, admitting defeat. Aegon was, if nothing else, an honourable man, and seeing his supporters slaughtered he elected to end the bloodshed. He might even had made a good king, but alas, we would suffer many decades of the reign of Vaegon instead.

Lord Tywin, bound by tradition and law, were forced to bring the surrendering rebel Lords before the throne and ask the 12-year old king what to do with them, in open court. According to my predecessor, Grandmeasters Adrins, notes from the council-meetings Lord Tywin had urged the King to show leniency, for the stability of the realm, but his command was simple. "Kill them all." What followed was an orgy of bloodshed.

Only three were spared.
Princess Obella of Dorne and Lady Callista of Blueburn were judged innocent, since it was their fathers that had rebelled, and they had died in the fighting. Prince Duran's sword was taken and added to the Iron Throne, and the Martells lost their traditional right to be called Prince, and are since refered to only as "Lord of Dorne". The wholesale slaughter of most of the highest nobility and demotion of it's traditional political autonomy have thrown Dorne into chaos and what once was a powerful and influental part of the realm is now fractured and reeling.
And Prince Maelys was stripped of his title and sent to the wall, as he had ever been the hero of Vaegon's childhood, and the boys had grown up togheter in the Red Keep under the tutelage of King Aerys II. Tragically the Prince would only survive for a year at the wall before being killed in battle by wildlings.


In the seventh year of his reign, the great Tywin Lannister would die from wounds sustained during the battle of Thimble. The new regent would be Vaegon's uncle, on the basis that he was next in line. Aerys was a young and impetous man of little moral fibre, and even fewer scruples. He would wildly abuse his position, naming himself Hand of the King despite being a boy of 17, extorting the lords of the realm for his own gain, fabricating legal documents to justify his claims on lands and castles, and neglecting the education of his ward Vaegon.

He would not let go of the reigns of power as his ward reached maturity, but with support within the palace, the city and from the great houses of the realm Vaegon publically dismissed Aerys from his role as regent and Hand of the King during his wedding cermony to his sister Cerelle, in a humiliating display of force that would be the hallmark of his reign.

Aerys would leave King Landing for a few years, to live with his mothers kin in Casterly Rock and served as a knight there. When he returned to King Landing, he was murdered by Ser Elyas Caskwell, whom he had made an enemy of during his short reign. Ser Elyas was executed a year later when one of the kings spies uncovered the murderer.

Vaegon's reign would last for 57 years, counting his time in minority, making him the longest-reigning monarch in the history of the Realm. Had it not been for his accident I will surmise that it would have lasted for decades more, for the king was in remarkable health for his age at the time of his death. He was untouched by sickness and shrugged off wounds that would kill lesser men. He died however, uncermonsiously, in an accident during quintain training at the tournament of Cornerstone, in the Tarly lands of the Reach.

His reign can be summed up as a mix of reverence and fear. The King was feared by all but the most foolhardy. The tolerated no dissent, enpowered the crown at expense of the great houses, but he was also a masterful diplomat, leading his vassals by a silken collar, until they started straining, at which point he brought down his mail-gloved fist. During his reign all lords were paranoid of their servants and underlings, for the spies and agents of the crown were everywhere, and Vaegon never forgave a slight. He unseated his opposition with knives in the dark, blackmail, and diplomatic pacts where "no" was not an option. He raised up new noble houses when it pleased him, and tore down ancient houses with a wave of his hand. He set his vassals against each other, or restrained them, on a whim. The realm was in chaos when it suited him, and kept orderly when it didn't. Above all, the was impossible to predict. Generous one moment, cruel and tyrannical the next.

But all that is just politics of the great houses, and not the main focus of this report. Far more worrying were Vaegon's obsessions. Both me, and my predecessor have sent numerous reports on this to the conclave, but this will be the summary of all our findings into the occult practices of King Vaegon that we are aware of, as well as his crimes.

Vaegon the Mad

​

According to the records and reports of Grandmaester Andrin Vaegon's obsession with the occult started when he in his childhood by chance discovered secret writing on an heirloom blade of his house that had been recovered by Aerys II, Aegon's Dagger, lost since the Dance of the Dragons, was recovered by agents of the crown. Assumed to be nothing but a curiosity by Aerys it was kept in the royal collections along with other curiosities of the past. It was viewed as an valuable Valyrian heirloom, but nothing more. But Vaegon confided in Grandmaester Andrin that he felt the dagger calling on him. In his dreams he saw it glow, he said, and one day he put it into a fire, and it revealed unknown writing in High Valyrian. The text read as follows: “From my blood, come The Prince That Was Promised and his will be the Song of Ice and Fire.”

Now, prophecy is a tricky business. Vaegon's interpretation, however, was simple. He, or possibly one of his descendants, would the "The prince that was promised". It started out innocently enough. Vaegon simply developed the nearly religious belief that the rule of the Targaryens was a pure neccesity, or the world would end, but as he grew older he gazed more and more into the blade, and it started affecting his state of mind. He started to have dreams, of fire, and blood, and ice. He saw visions of the return of the dragons, of Kings Landing burning, of evil threatening to creep in from the north, from the land of ever winter. As he aged he became more and more obsessed with prophecy and magic.

His visions tormented his sleep, and worsened the state of his already fragile mind, since he never had a normal childhood, even by the standard of royal princes. In his waking hours he would ponder his dreams. He saw conspiracy in every act, convinced that if he would be overthrown the Long Night would return, and herald the end of mankind.

He started consorting with "wise men" and foreign sorcerers. One in particular, Moredo Bazanne, a devotee of R'hellor from Myr, introduced him to the practice of staring into fire to induce visions.

He replaced his hand of the king, the honourable Lord Dontos, with this foreign sorcerer. Moredo would be instrumental in building up the spy-network that would make the king so feared.

But even the man who was supposed to do the dirtywork wasn't safe. Oswyn Swiftdagger, formerly known as Oswyn Carpenter, was Master of Whispers to Aerys II, as had his father been before him. After a mock-trial of Lady Wylessa Chelsted of the Bramsfort, an old and noble family who have served the Targaryens since the conquest Vaegon seized her land and raised up Oswyn as lord for services rendered during his coup against Prince Aerys' regency. Oswyn had been his mentor before Moredo, a vital instrument for Vaegon. No matter if the charges were true or not, no crime makes a man deserving of what happened to Oswyn before he died. My predecessor made note of the wounds present on the cadaver after Vaegon were done with him. It was impossible to tell how much of the damage had been done while the man was still living, but it is clear that it was not a quick death.

It was during this time his obsession with occult practices aside from prophecy also started. Hosman Tarbor was an alchemist and adventurer at the court who sought funding for creating a cure for all disease. But Vaegon wanted him to go further than that and charged him with trying to ressurect his dead daughter. She had been stillborn, scaly and malformed, with claws on her fingers and toes and what appeared to be malformed wings on her back. Similar stillbirths have been recorded within the Targaryen bloodline going back atleast to Aerys I, but Vaegon was convinced that she could be ressurected as a dragon, as his visions forsaw the rebirth of dragons.

Of course, the experiments were unsuccesful. The vision Grandmaester Andrin paints in his records is vivid and disturbing. The dead child, cut open, magic charms, oils and spells spoken over the little corpse. But the king was unperturbed and the alchemist would stay at court, peddling his elixirs to the kings until his death and the king swore that the reason he was never sick was due to the magical panacrea created by Hosman. And it is true that during neither the tenure of three seperate Grand Maesters the king is never recorded as having been sick. Not once. After the death of Moredo he would raise the alchemist to the position of Hand of the King, which he would hold until his own death.

During Hosman's time as hand, and after, the king would also spend vast amounts of money of reclaiming Valyrian artifacts, holding the belief that Old Valyria held the key to defeating the darkness he had forseen.

Most of these expeditions never returned, of course. But some did. Some came with trinkets. The king amassed an impressive collection of artifacts from the expeditions. 4 glass candles, pieces of oily black rock, and even an dragon egg, the first new such egg to come into the possesion of the Targaryens since the Dance. But the ship that brought the egg also brought the plague of 326, which killed half the population of Kings Landing, a blow the city have not recovered from to this day. He spent equally vast amounts of money on recovering heirlooms of his family. He recover Blackfyre, and the warhammer Fury, and other artifacts lost over the centuries. He prodded and tested them, looking for more clues to his dreams and visions. He had notes from king Aegon V on a ritual to hatch the dragon-eggs, but he believed the ritual to be incomplete. Going back into the records of Aegon V's reign his Grand Maester makes note of these ideas, but according to these records Aegon decided against trying the ritual at the last minute. Vaegon was sure that there was a piece missing, and would spend his life searching for the missing piece of that puzzle.

But as the years passed he became more and more irrational.

In 320 he introduced Valyrian as the court-language in the Red Keep. He required all vassals coming to swear fealty to do so in High Valyrian, as well as all official royal documents to be written and distributed in that language. This opened up an entire industry for the learned citizens of the city to work as interpretors and tutors for visiting nobles and merchants who wanted to do business with the crown. In the wake of the plague of 326 he also started repopulating the city, organizing immigration from Driftmark, Claw Isle, Dragonstone, and even the Free Cities, changing the makeup of the citizens of the capital to the point that today most citizens identify themselves not as crownlanders, but rather as Westerosi Valyrians, as have the inhabitants of the isles of the blackwater done for centuries. These days it is not uncommon to hear Valyrian spoken, not only in the court, but also in the streets, and even those who do not speak that ancient language will still claim descent from it, as the city has been repopulated few of the original inhabitants are left. Legal hurdels were placed on non-Valyrian immigration into the city, even as thousands of homes stood empty for decades, while these homes were given out for free to immigrants from the Blackwater Isles.

In 324, going against all law and custom for these last centuries Vaegon did the unthinkable. He proclaimed that it was the divine right, as recognised by the faith to Aegon the Conqueror, for him to take a second wife. Any protest was quickly quelled. No opposition were allowed to be voiced. And while the faith condemned it, his proclamations have stood.

He named his uncle Daemion, a great diplomat and scholar, master of laws, and even talked the Grandmaester into supporting his claim based on precendence. The faith protested, and condemned him, but he simply ignored them, and went ahead. The previous High Septon were vocally opposed, but the current have not cared. I have reports that he regularly sodomise his septons, and no doubt Vaegon's spies heard the same rumours, and I would theorize that his network exceeds my own and have actual proof, and this is the reason the faith have lately been quiet on the matter.

But Vaegon would not stop there. In 325 he would go further. He sent the newly arrived Grandmaester who had replaced Andrin, Greydon, a truely despicable man, and Vaegons creature, beyond the wall with an escort of Kingsguard and rangers to form a treaty with the wildlings. Many tribes were visited, and pacts were agreed upon.

From the cannibal tribes of the frozen shores, he would marry the daughter of the so called king of that people, called "Pretty wolf" when translated from the old tongue. From the tribes of Skagos he fetched the daughter of the house of Magnar, Orenna. He dressed the savages up in fine clothing and copulated with them, and called it sacred marriage but the realm was not fooled. It is my belief that this was yet another attempt to find the missing piece for his ritual, because all the girls chosen were trained in the mystic traditions of their people, savage sages amongst their people.

Later, he would go even further, and seek out sage women of the most far northern tribe, that is so remote that even the Nights Watch only know them through rumours and hearsay, the people known as the Thenn, and marry a daughter versed in their rituals and magic too. Syri Moonsnow, as the woman was called, was just a girl of 16 when he married her, and she bore him a daughter, Vaella, before returning to her own land.

But according to rumour Syri has since made herself queen of the Thenn, and Vaella have now married into the royal clan of the Thenn, as she is according to their custom now heir to their kingdom, for Syri only ever bore daughters, despite taking two additional husbands in her homeland, as is the savage cutsom of the Thenn, so Vaella is set to become queen of the Thenn upon the death of her mother, and she is now married to the Magnar of the Thenn valley, their homeland, and it is said, have born his children.

But wheter Vaegon have gotten what he wanted out of these connections or not, it has cost him dearly, for his children by these women have inherited titles, such as they are, from their mothers, and Prince Aemon, along with his sister-wife Aemena were sent beyond the wall to claim the inheritance of their mother, Aemon bearing the warhammer fury and arriving with a retinue of westerosi knights, but both children were slain in the service of the savage queen Red Falcon, the sister of their mother, in the innumerable wars that is fought between the wildlings beyond the wall.

At this very moment, in some forgotten valley, a Targaryen of royal blood, the son of Aemon and Aemena, is said to live, surrounded by the savages. The only communication we have with them is via raven from Maester Harlen. He reports that the hold have 5 knights from the realm, adventurers who have joined up and some survivors from the band that arrived with Aemon, as well as a septon, but that the rest of the servants, as well as the warriors it command, are savages that eat the flesh of their fallen enemies and that they are constantly under threat from raids from neighboring tribes.

Aemonds obsession with learning what secrets of northern magic he hopes to find have led to these entanglements, and his savage grief caused him to march his army beyond the wall to seek Aemons killer, a chieftess of the wildling.

He roused his knights into a war of revenge, and they marched for months north, until they reached the wall and the vast wilderness that lies beyond it.

With more than 500 knights, and almost 15 000 men at arms and levied men he marched into the heart of the land-beyond-the-wall, suffering constant harrasing attacks from the savages, to a settlement called Hulder's Grove where the chieftess who had slain his son were said to reside, but he could not find her.

He did however, manage to capture her husband. And under Vaegons torture he gave up the location of his wife. The hold was burned to the ground, and the husband was viciously killed, with armed agents, unscrupolous rangers of the Nights Watch with local connections, found the chieftess as a captive of a rival chieftain, and they slew her and brought her head to King's Landing, where it is now preserved in alcohol in the Kings old study. Servants have reported that he talked to it. Usually screaming, arguing, accusing.

I am sorry, dear colleagues, if this summary comes across as rambling, but I am trying to succintly summarise over four decades of crimes by this beast. And speaking of crimes, there was the Tryzaen feud.

Largely unknown in Westeros, the Tryzaen Kingdom was formed from what remained of Mealor's Blackfyre Host, in the disputed lands between Tyrosh, Myr and Pentos, by one Maekar Tryzaen, who claimed to be the illegitimate son of Prince Aerion Brightflame. They filled the power-vacuum after Mealys defeat in the fifth Blackfyre rebellion, but over the generations they were steadily losing territories to the surrounding powers. They desperatly needed an ally, and as it happened, Vaegon's interests didn't only lie in the savages of the north. He was also interested in the magic of the east, and sought connections there. The daughter of the reigning Queen, Lysanora, was 21, and unmarried. Prince Aegon was 15, and his bethrotal to his sister had just been broken. The general public and gossiping nobels say that Princess Aleora must have become pregnant, by some stableboy or something like that as the tales goes, but the truth is of course, far more sinister, as are all things concerning Vaegon.

For as I have been able to learn at 14 Aelora started dreaming. Like her father, but much more precise. Dragondreams.

While I, with my sceptical mind, would assume that she had just inherited her fathers madness, as has so many of his progeny, he believed, and she became his favoured child. After the bethrothal was broken on her request, the stark truth is that she just had no interest in men, I have on good authorithy, Vaegon started looking for another suitable bride, and his interest landed on Naila, heir to the Tryzaen Kingdom. Granted, at the time the kingdom controlled only a sliver of it's claimed territory, but Veagon argued that if she would marry Prince Aegon, he could claim that area legitimatly, and expand his influence in the east, and draw to himself eastern wizards and sages who lived there. Besides, he had at this point started talking about reclaiming all the old Valyrian holdings. He often refused to speak common, and wore archaic dress modeled after Valyrian murals and paintings found in Dragonstone.

But just as the wedding preparations were being finished in the Red Keep a raven arrived from Essos, bearing the excuses from Queen Lysanora, but she would not be able to attend her daughter wedding as she had just given birth to a prince and was in no state for a long voyage. Vaegon responded simply with "No wedding."
The death of the alliance with the Iron Throne was a catasthrope for the beleaguered Queen, who responded by saying she cursed the Targaryen house, and the Kingdom to ruin. Had she known Vaegon personally she would have known better, as those words triggered his paranoid and superstitious mind, and he spent the next 4 years systematically eliminating every single living member of the ruling Tryzaen dynasty to defeat Lysanora's curse. Even after the kingdom fell to it's enemies after the death of Lysanora, agents of the throne hounded them, and chased every last person in Essos bearing the Tryzaen name into their graves. Not just those that ruled land, or just the men, but the women, the children, the cousins and uncles, until the entire line had gone extinct. Such was the brutality and cunning of the beast that was Vaegon.

Back home Veagon was hounded by ambitious nobles seeking the hand of his daughter, for she was a fine price for any who could claim her, and he tired of it, so he made her join the silent sisters. Some rumours says he also cut out her toungue as well, so that she may never speak her dreams to anyone else, and each morning he would ride down to the sept where she lived, and have her write out her dreams from the previous night in a secret code language, known only by the two of them. I have been able to aquire some samples, but haven't been able to break the cipher. Copies are dispathced alongside this report.

Having lost his planned eastern connections Vaegon traveled to Penthos, under cover of participating in a tourney.

There he visited the Temple of R'hollor, and recruited to his court two of their red priests, for their knowledge in eastern magic, and their deep connection to fire, an obsession he shared, for he believed fire to be the key.

He presented to to them one of his dragon eggs, claiming that he was the prince that was promised, and that he would waken the dragons from stone. Most of the priests scoffed at the foreign pagan king of course, but two were convinced and accompanied him back, and would found a temple of Rh'llor in Kings landing. The King would often visit, and gaze into the fires, but I do not believe that was was truely converted. By all accounts he still held to the Seven until his dying breath, but he was open to the idea of other gods alongside them.

Cheered on by Greydon, his creature dressed in Maester's robes, he continued his studies into the occult, and became obsessed with the quest for immortality. For he reasoned, as much as a beast such as him can be said to reason, that if he never died, the Targaryens would rule forever, and he could thus stave off the destruction of mankind by achiving immortality. He studied not only magic and the occult, but real medicine as well, and I daresay, from my conversations with him, that he was as able a physican as any measter of the citadel. He was intimatly familiar with the human body, for he had pushed the human body to, and beyond, it's breaking point, on many occasions with those that displeased them. He knew how to heal as well as he knew how to hurt, and he studied many scholarly subjects.

And here I must digress, with yet another tale of his inhuman cruelty.

For it came to pass that his eldest daughter, Alaerys, who was married to Aethan, his cousin, became pregnant a few months after Aethans tragic death in the pox.

Knowing her fathers fearful reputation, she gave in and gave him the fathers name. Her lover was none other than Franklyn Manwoody, of the Kings Guard, who, upon hearing that Alaerys had been taken into the dungeon realised his peril and spirited the babe and himself away.

But the reach of Vaegon was long, and his brothers in the King Guard, under the leadership of Prince Aegon, brought back the babe to his grandfather, along with the disgraced knight in chains.

So far this tale is regular royal gossip, but the beastly nature of Vaegon is revealed in what followed. For, you see, he did not take Franklyn's head, instead he took his cock. Then he married Alaerys off, to her brother, the Prince of Dragonstone. And sent Franklyn Manwoody, no longer a man, and definatly without a woody, to be her bodyguard.

It is said that the love between Alaerys and Aegon is great, and that they amused themselves by having Franklyn stand watch while they copulated, for to her he was but a toy, a distraction, while what she holds for her brother and husband is a bond beyond mere lust and the entire brood of Vaegon is made up of beasts such as himself, for what else can spring from the loins of Vaegon the Mad but monsters and madmen?

Franklyn the Fearless, a true and noble knight, human faults notwithstanding, would get caught up in a plot against the Queen 10 years later and was executed by order of Veagon. They didn't even bother of symbolically stripping him off his cloak before cutting his head off.

Another act which speaks to the curelty of the Monster of the Red Keep is his treatmeant of Princess Daenaera of Dragonstone. Once slated to reign alongside her brother Aegon one day, she was intelligent, beautiful, diligent, temperate and pious. A perfect queen. But the pox took her beauty, and Veagon value his stock of Targaryen women only for beauty, breeding them as a farmer selects the cow that gives the most milk to calf. The girls was sent to the silent sisters at 14, and another Targaryen woman who could uphold Vaegons standards for a queen took her place.

Unusually, he picked up on a girl of common stock to give to his son. Although she carried a noble name of the North, much respected north of the Neck, her father was a commoner. Taking the girl under his wing he raised her to be the perfect queen for his son, although she would later be relegated to second wife after a sister of the prince became availible. What reasons Vaegon had for this is unknown, but he appears obsessed with blending in First Men blood into his Valyrian family. If this is related to his religious and spiritual beliefs is unknown to us.

Speaking of Vaegon's brood, in case our venerable institution have lost track I can confirm that Vaegon spawned 23 trueborn children and one bastard by his 6 wives and the bastard by Lady Walda of Rook's Rest,a most vile and evil woman by all accounts, who for a time served as his Master of Whispers after the execution of Oswyn Swiftdagger.

Of those children one was the stillborn miscarriage previously mentioned, one died young of the pox, 5 are still children at the time of writing and 6 died after reaching adulthood.
3 of the princesses are wives of our new King Aegon of course.

Vaegon would employ mystics, and for each child and grandchild born he would take them to see these men, and they would speak a prophecy for each child, which Vaegon kept in a secret journal. I have not been able to locate that journal after his death, although it is no doubt only filled with incoherent ramblings it would still hold academic interest for certain members of our order I believe.

Finally, of note is his banishment of Elmar Silverflame and his sons to the wall.
The Silverflames are the illegitimate offspring of our previous King, Aerys II, known as the "Silver Flame". After the death of Lord Donnel Buckwell of Deerfield it was revealed that Beron was in fact the illegitimate son of Aerys, and unable to maintain his rule as Lord Buckwell he appealed to Veagor to be recognised as a part of the Targaryen dynasty instead. On condition of him swearing to make no claim on the throne he was allowed to found the bastard house of Silverflame, and maintain his rule over Deerfield.

Since then the royal house, desperate to keep it's line as pure as possibly have been heavily invested in this house, until Lord Elmar, son of Beron, made the mistake of plotting against the Queen. The entire male side of the family save one boy of 7 were banished to the wall, including one who was serving in the Kingsguard, Ser Jon Silverflame. The entire house now hangs on the verge of extintion as an entity seperate from the royal family, as all the women are either married or engaged to members of the main royal line. But the familys survival hinges on the approval of the King, and under Vaegon that approval was assured as the boy showed signs of having the Dragondreams, and the protection of the full might of the crown was extended to the house for that reason.

The house of the Dragon have currently access to two Dreamers to guide them. Lord Aerys of Deerfield, and Prince Vaegon. They treasure these two beyond anything else and will go to great lenght to keep them safe, and they are under constant guard by members of the Kingsguard.

Another members of note of the family who have yet to be mentioned are Valaena the Firegazer, Lady of the North.

The Targaryens are typically insular, and rarely marry outside of the family, so when it does happen it is of note. The Maester assigned to Winterfell, Maester Gwayne, is unfortunatly not trustworthy enough to be brought into our plans, and neither is he trusted enough of Lord Lorick. The Wolves are slow to trust, and Gwayne is new to them. Lorick suffered over 25 years of a childless marriage with his previous wife, and I fear that Valaena giving him 4 children in 5 years have firmly locked the wolves of Winterfell into the Targaryen cause for the coming generations.

We were more succesful with the other three who left the safety of the Red Keep.

Aemma were married off to the Lord Steffon of Oldtown. It was obvious when Vaegon arrived that he didn't care for the political alliance at all, but only about access to the Hightower archives and libraries. Our agents managed to infect her with the green fever through infected toiletries in her apartments, and she was dead within the year, having produced no offspring to tie The Tower to the Red Keep.

Prince Rhagar, an obvious plant within the citadel itself was dealt with in the same way, although Rhaegar was a snake, and the plan took several years and several attempts to execute. In his letter of recomendation Grand maester Greydon claimed that Rhaegar was a bookish type, ill suited to life at court, but our research indicate that he was personally trained in intrigue by Veagon himself from a young age. No doubt it was part of a long-term plan. We could have isolated him, and then sent him off to serve some minor lord somewhere, but the risk was to great.

Aelora was trickier. She was cloistered within the quarters of the Silent Sisters, but cutting Veagon off from his Dreamer was a top priority, and her mind was already fractured from her visions. We managed to drive her to further insanity by introducing false visions through the careful administration of psycoactive drugs in her food and drink, until her every waking moment was plagued by waking nightmares, and her heart gave out from the stress.

Joanna we have seen no reason to interfere with. She is struck from the family line for refusing to marry one of her brother, and was only coaxed back to Westeros from Penthos by the promise of marriage to a Lord from outside the family. We are confident that she plays no part in the larger plans of the Dragons, and the connection she provides to Rooks Rest is no threat. The marriage is by all accounts loveless, but has produced 5 children.

So, you might ask, how have this madman been able to rule the Seven Kingdoms without facing opposition. Well, we did well in not underestmiating him. He may have been mad, but he was wily as the fox, and charming as a snake. He has also consistently surrounded himself with capable men with interest in maintaining the status quo. For generations now the Lannisters, Baratheons and Targaryens have been mixing their bloodlines. From Tywin with his obvious loyalty and on to his grandson Tommard Casterly Rock have moved far too close to the Dragon for comfort, with several marriages between the two bloodlines and other bonds cementing Targaryen rule while enriching the Rock.

While it was just the likes of Aerys it mattered little. His path led towards the gradual dissolution of the Targaryens as a seperate master race. Just another house amongst many, with a lord like many others. But the threat, not seen for a long time, re-emerged with Vaegon, who learned some of the old knowlege we have strived to keep hidden. A raving madman is no threat, a raving madman with an army and backers who can pay for that army is a threat.

Though Vaegon rarely, if ever took into consideration such things as finances, the backing of very serious men who took these matters very seriously made his reign possible. Without support from the Rock many of his plans would have been impossible to fulfill.

Likewise the application of force requires very serious men with big weapons, something the Stormlands kept Aerys amptly supplied with during his reign.

Our plans included severing the ties of the throne to these two allies, cutting them off from Lannister gold and Stormland swords.

The Stormlands were remarkably easy to destabilise. Arranging an uprising against Lady Sarena was easy, no warrior wishes to be ruled by a seven year old girl. But that uprising also killed the idea of absolute Baratheon power. After we managed to sneak spermicidal drugs into the diet of the legendary White Stag, Steffon Baratheon, ensuring he would have no progeny we planted the idea that the rightful succesion should have passed through the equally legendary Silver Stag, Lady Eleonora, instead.

And thus we got the Eastermonts on the throne. The ability to single-handidly kill ten men matters little when you are facing ten thousand.
Which of course wasn't the point. We have no vested interest in the Eastermonts, they were just a suitable target for manupulation. The point was destabilisation. The Stormlands would suffer another 5 civil wars, over claims to the throne or increased liberties for the great houses, in the coming two generations. The Throne could never trust in the power of the Stormlands, because at any given moment they were as likely to be fighting eachother as anyone else.

The Westerlands proved to be more of a challenge. As long Tommard lived our efforts were in vain, but every dynasty have a weak link. With patience you await that link, and then, you break it. For the Lannisters it was Tywin, who did not measure up to his great-grandfather for whom he was named.

2 years of Tywen would undo what took the Lannisters 2000 years to build. No doubt they are still powerful, but not as they once were, and as vassals and bannermen they are not able to support the crown as is their habit.

Recent years have seen their power falter further, as the Lannisters of Lannisport now claim Casterly Rock as a vassal. How the mighty lion have fallen. But it is not yet dead, we must be wary of the lion waking with a roar and try to reestablish what they see as their natural place in the order of things.

Now, we face a new future, the reign of King Aegon VI.

By my measure of the man he will be far easier to control and manipulate. If you can't eat it or hit it with a big hammer, he isn't interested in it. He shares none of his fathers interest into the occult. He wishes for glory in war, and one the tournament field, not to subtly direct his house. But we have one worry. While he isn't mad as his father he does show signs. Evil spirits the priests mutter. Moodswings and seizures, something babbling incomprehensibly.

In the politics of the realm he has shown little interest however. 15 years on the council as Master of Arms of the Seven Kingdoms, and he have never interfered in matters outside the military.

And there is the matter of wheter Vaegon trusted him with the prophecy of the dagger which is currently an unknown. While he is not wily, as his father was, he keeps his own council, while his father would often discuss his ideas with many, some of which were sympathetic to our cause and kept us updated on his latest ideas. If Aegon have read the prophecy, and if he believes it, is yet to be revealed.

Signed
Grand Maester Leorald
Fourth Moon, A.C. 353

 

[HistoryDude]

In the second entry, I feel bad for Tywin. At least he managed to marry his family into the royal house.

Aerys was arbitrary there, but at least he wasn't mad. That's still an improvement over canon.

Why does Tywin trust Dorne's loyalty? Wasn't a lot of their implied Targaryen loyalty in the books based on close blood ties that wouldn't be present here?

For the third and fourth entries... they are set in the same universe as the second entry, right?

The Maester Conspiracy seems to be doing well here. Is it bad that I want to see their plans foiled?

Why didn't the Tryzaen realm interfere in the Sixth Blackfyre Rebellion? And why did so many of the Westerosi houses betray the throne at that point?

Why doesn't our maester... viewpoint character... see the connection between the First Men and the song of ice and fire? Was he just not paying much attention to the specifics of the prophecy?

 

[Kashked]

In the second entry, I feel bad for Tywin. At least he managed to marry his family into the royal house.

Aerys was arbitrary there, but at least he wasn't mad. That's still an improvement over canon.

Why does Tywin trust Dorne's loyalty? Wasn't a lot of their implied Targaryen loyalty in the books based on close blood ties that wouldn't be present here?

For the third and fourth entries... they are set in the same universe as the second entry, right?

The Maester Conspiracy seems to be doing well here. Is it bad that I want to see their plans foiled?

Why didn't the Tryzaen realm interfere in the Sixth Blackfyre Rebellion? And why did so many of the Westerosi houses betray the throne at that point?

Why doesn't our maester... viewpoint character... see the connection between the First Men and the song of ice and fire? Was he just not paying much attention to the specifics of the prophecy?

Yeah, I imagined Aerys as a "playboy" king. He was running around having affairs, feasting, tourneys, that sort of thing. He wasn't a good king, but he was a bad king in the same way Robert was, not in the way book-Aerys was.

Tywin misjudged Dorans character, and didn't pay attention to history. Honestly he didn't pay much attention to either Dorne or the north, he was too focused on the center of the realm. I don't use the canon children or canon personality settings, so Doran developed a little bit different. I don't remember his exact traits, but he was devious. I actually did have him in mind for hand of the king as he had very good stats all-around, and he had high opinion, he appeared loyal in every way. But of course the Martells have the Blackfyre loyalist trait...

Yeah, Vaegon is the grandson of Aery's from the second entry. It was only the first which was a different timeline. I wouldn't be symphatetic towards the Maester conspiracy either though. I hold to the headcanon that a Targaryen on the throne keeps the long night away. Since the mod doesn't feature the invasion of the others yet that is my justification for why that isn't happening, we are well past that point in the timeline, the Targaryens stayed in power, ergo, no invasion. As long as I keep a Targaryen on the throne in possesion of atleast one dragon egg I am assuming that is why there is no invasion from the north. The Maester doesn't really care about politics, they don't really care if there is a Targaryen on the throne or not, as long as they aren't messing about with magic. They just want all that stuff gone and forgotten. That is also why he doesn't care about the prophecy. He doesn't believe, or want to believe in prophecies. He wants a mundane, rational world. No magic, no Others, no dragons, no prophecies, Valyria to be some vague myth no one really believes in. The end goal is to kill all magic, which would (maybe?) kill the others too.

As for the Tryzaen realm, they are what forms if both Maelys and his son die without any heirs, as their founding member is next in line to the throne of the Disputed Lands kingdom title due to being a bastard son of of Prince Dearon II of Dragonstone (I think it is, some prince of Dragonstone atleast).
So if he survives but the Blackfyres don't, the Blackfyre realm turns into the Tryzaen Kingdom. And Maelys rebellion was kind of embarrasing. Not a single house defected to his side. He arrived with 12 000 dudes from Essos and was destroyed in a single battle in the Estermont islands during the reign of Aegon V. He had burned his own son for some reason, so when he was captured it was all over. He did manage to kill Barristan the Bold first though, which I'm still salty about 100 years later...

 

[Killcrazy13]

Tywin feels like someone who understands the strategic viewpoint but is terrible at reading people. I guess it holds true based on how badly he underestimated Tyrion and others in canon.

I'm surprised there aren't those in the tower who don't seek magical knowledge for their own benefit or for the order. For an organisation so hungry to know everything, there's bound to be a few maesters who would like to add that 'magic link' to their chain.

Love that mask Tommard has, inspired by House of the Dragon.

 

[Kashked]

New patch, new timeline, new sub-mods... Yeah, it's Aegon-time baby!

Just a few notes on game-rules. More Interactive Vassals have had a mayor overhaul, with many new settings. So what I've done is reduce levies by 50% across the board, reduced levy reinforcment rate to just 5% of vanilla, and reduced levy contribution to liege by 50%. MaA-replenishment is also reduced from 10% to 7.5%.
All this is to make vassals participation in wars more important and make losses actually matter. For those that don't play with MIV, first off, you should, and secondly, what it does is make vassals participate directly in wars rather than just be a knights and send levies. They (or you, if you are the vassal) can choose to participate, stay neutral, or betray their liege in any type of conflict. Vassal allies can also be called into any type of conflict, unless it's against their own direct liege. This means a popular ruler with a smaller realm can actually outnumber a unpopular ruler with a big realm. The levy reductions-options also makes vassals more powerful in relation to their liege, making factional uprisings more common, and more often succesful, reducing the main problem with the GOT-mod, nothing big happening unless there is a scripted event. MIV also adds the ability for higher lieges to support their vassals, including opinion pentalties for choosing not to do it, overextension, war exhaustion and so much more. It really is a must-have mod, and it is super-compatible and can be added even in total conversion-mod lists. Basically don't play without it. But enough shilling...

For my Heirs
Last words of Aegon the Conqueror
Spoken to his grandson, Hand of the King and heir, Gaemon Strongdragon
Recorded for posterity by Valerin the Ironraven, Royal Court Chronicler
Kept at the Targaryen family archives on Dragonstone
Kings Landing, 27th of First Moon, 75 years after the Conquest
​

"I was born 101 years ago... For 75 years I have ruled as King of Westeros.

But for all these years I have never been the ruler of my own dreams.

I have seen the Lands of Always Winter... Beyond which no waking eye may see...

Behold, in darkness, a doom sweeps the land.

This is the 27th of First Moon. The 161:th year after the Doom of Valyria. These are the closing days of this era. And the final hours of my life...

It is the curse, and blessing, of our line that some of us may see that which is hidden to all other mortal men, my dear Gaemon. Have you never questioned the wars of Conquests? Have you never asked yourself, why? Why didn't I just stop after the conquest of the Blackwater Bay, and set myself up as yet another King? Have you never questioned why I always kept going? All the suffering... the suffering we had to live through... the suffering we caused... have you, truely, never questioned it?"

"I have grandfather... But the Septons say it was destiny... the will of the Gods. That you are their tool."

"I am not anyone's tool Gaemon... I did it, not for the Gods, but for all of humanity. You must know. The line of our family, forever after, must know. I need to unburden my soul before my final moment... A great secret weighs on me, and if it goes with me to the afterlife, I fear, the Long Night may yet return. For I have seen it in my dreams. A great army of darkness stirring in the far north, beyond the wall, and beyond the lands there, the Doom roused the servants of the Great Others. They are stirring in that land. They are watching the world of Men, waiting for a moment of weakness. Waiting for their opportunity to return.

All that halts them is the mere possibility of a Dragonlord of Valyria opposing them. And we are the last. We cannot, COULD NOT, be content on our island, for that island is all that remains of our people, and one little island can not stand against what may come. This is my charge to you, my last will and testament, my last command. I charge you with maintaining the Kingdom I have built, as a bulwark against the Dark. This is your sacred duty, and the sacred duty of all our people."

"I understand. I swear I shall not falter in this duty."

"You do not truly understand, I fear. For you have not seen what I have seen. But I shall accept your oath, and trust that you make your son Aeryn swear it too when he returns from Driftmark. And that this secret knowledge is imparted on all heirs to the Iron Throne, forever hereafter.
It's the dragons, you see, they are the key. Not only to our Kingship over all Westeros. Not only to the Conquest. Not only to maintaining our power. They are sacred, they are guardians. They are our only viable weapon against the coming of the Others. You must increase their numbers. You must find for them riders willing to ride into the very depths of darkness in defence of the world of man. You must make sure that our family always stands ready for this task."

"I swear it, on the Gods of Valyria, and the Seven. I accept your charge, as heir to the Iron Throne, I accept it as a Dragonlord of Valyria. I swear it upon Darkfyre, and I swear it on Jehikagon."

[OOC: So, as noted in previous entries I hold Aegon's prophecy, even though it is show-only, as canon. But the Legacy of the Dragon sub-mod, which adds Aegon's dagger to the game doesn't support adding it to non-official bookmarks. And obviously I would had to deal with "rediscovering" artifacts from Targaryen kings who never existed in this timeline anyway. So in this alternative timeline Aegon puts it to paper, rather than etching it into Valyrian steel. Less permanent, and opens up for role-playing the prophecy being lost in this playthrough. I should note that I don't have the sub-mod which adds the Others enabled, so no actual invasion will ever happen. But if the entirety of the Targaryen family is wiped out, unlikely as it is, and I game-over, then I take that as, well, the world will end shortly after, as without the threat of Valyrian Dragonlords to challenge them the others will just sweep in an kill everyone in one final Long Night, which is my headcanon of how it all would go down without Targaryens, because I am a shameless Targ-fanboy.]

Portrait of King Aegon the Conqueror, commissioned for his 60th nameday, 35 years after the Conquest.

The War of Conquest
An account of the Wars of Conquest
Written by Joramun the Hornfoot
with input from King Aegon
20 years after the conclusion of the wars​

[OOC: A few notes. I am using the mod AGOT Conquest Bookmark, rather than the more popular AGOT Expansion: Aegon's Conquest. The latter works more like Aegon's Conquest bookmark in the original CK2 mod, with wars being declared by event. In short it is more railroaded, while the former is more free-form, allowing you to take a breath between wars. With the way my other mods are setup I had to go this route because I simply couldn't beat the Stormlands, never mind the Reach-Westerlands alliance, even with my dragons, without an opportunity to get my vassals opinions up between the wars, notably I needed to have a coronation before I took on those three or the Riverlords weren't willing to join. Dragons were much more powerful on their own in CK2, and this is actually my first game in the mod since they were introduced, so I hadn't realised that, so I had to switch bookmark-mod. And even then it took 5 hours of tries and re-tries until I actually managed to win the conquest. The Conquest Bookmark is a great mod, but I should note it is still missing some events, for example the High Septon is located in Kings Landing from the start as the events in Oldtown isn't covered, so I'll amend the story to fit this to the game I actually played rather than ignoring it.
Also, the Field of Fire-event never fired for me, I think because I fought the Reach in hills and not on grasslands, that is atleast how it worked in CK2, so house Gardener is still alive and kicking for all you Greenhand-enjoyers, although I'm not particularly upset about that. While I aimed for as close to the historic events as possible, the main point is of course to write an alternative story, which is why I have things like canon children and canon dragons disabled.]


On the third day of the First Moon, one hundred years after the Doom of Valyria a force of 5000 Valyrian descendants landed at the mouth of the Blackwater River, having sailed from their island homes in the Blackwater Bay. They were led by their King, called Aegon the Dragon, who soared above the fleet as it landed on Balerion, the greatest of his three dragons. There he ordered the construction of a holdfast, for Aegon had come to the mainland of Westeros with one single purpose in mind: to unite the Seven Kingdoms under one ruler.

With him where his two sister-wives.
Visenya, a fierce warrior and leader of men, atop Vhagar, who would become known as the Jade Menace in the years following her death as it flew wild for many years, and still do to this day, making it's nest on the island of Driftmark.
Also Rhaneys, riding Meraxes, a beauty beyond compare, and our beloved Queen, ever by the King's side.

Having landed word was sent to the lords of the nearby holds of Rosby, Stokeworth and Duskendale, at that time ruled by the dread King Harren the Black, King of the Isles and Rivers, that they were to submit, but the dispatches were ignored, and Aegon marched in a lightning campaign and subjugated the three lords by taking their holds before their banners even had time to gather to try to put up a fight. The Lords of Crackclaw point met with Rhaenys shortly afterwords, and Aegon recieved their alliegance and wows beneath the walls of the Dun Fort. By this point word of Aegon's invasion of Westeros had reached Harren the Black in Harrenhall, and he sent words to his bannermen to gather their forces at Harrenhall to repel the invader, for his own forces were far away, busy raiding the coast of the Westerlands.

But Harren's command fell on deaf ears, and not a single lord in all the Riverlands would call their own banners in support of the evil King, and in Riverrun Lord Edmyn Tully openly declared his support from Aegon and called his bannermen to Riverrun to join the Dragonlord in liberating the Rivermen from the tyranny of their Ironborn oppressors. Without opposition Aegon's host marched straight towards Harrenhall, the massive fortress that Harren had erected in the heart of the Riverlands. Joined by men from Rosby, Stokeworth and Duskendale, as well as the tribes of the Crackclaw, his host now numbered 10 000, and he sent word to Harren that he had but a single day to surrender, or face utter annihilation. Of course, Harren refused, and in the first display of his dragon's power Aegon utterly destroyed the keep of Harren the Black, all but extinguishing his entire line, but for his grandson, a boy of 3 months who lived with his mother in the Vale at the time. The boy was brought to Aegon and were brought up in his court, and would be made a knight, and later serve in his half-brother's court in the Eyrie until his death 18 years after the conquest, and with him house Hoare would be entirely spent, and relegated to the pages of history.
Aegon granted the lands and titles of Harrenhall to his Master at arms, Quenton Qoherys, in recognition of his long service.

Following the destruction of the Hoares, and Harrenhall, all the Riverlords pledged themselves to Aegon, but in Harren's homeland of the Iron Islands Qhorin Volmark arrogantly proclaimed himself King of the Iron Islands. His reign would last less than 6 months, as Aegon's host would sail out from the port in Seaguard, his fleets under Master of Ships Daemon the Seahorse of the Velaryons having defeated what ships Qhorin could muster after a long voyage around the continent, and conquer his hold on Harlaw Island, and take the self-proclaimed King himself captive at the battle of Harridan's Hills, where he attempted to hold the coming storm of the Dragonking at bay, with no support from his countrymen, who did not heed his call to defend the Iron Islands' independence.

Ravens where sent to all the Lords of the Iron Islands, to meet Aegon at Nagga's Hill in two weeks time, or face his wrath. Before the assembled Lords Aegon brought Qhorin, and proclaimed that the Volmark clan was banished from the Iron Islands, and challenged the assembled Lords. He proclaimed himself King of all of Westeros, and asked the assembled if any amongst them were brave enough to accept holding Lordship over the Iron Islands in his name, and swear to serve him, and have his family hold that Lordship under Targaryen rule for all time. Only one man was brave enough to step forward, Vickon Darkiron, of the Greyjoys of Pyke, accepting Aegon's command and swearing his allegiance and that of all his descendants to Aegon's kingdom.

Portrait of Vickon Darkiron, Lord of the Iron Islands and Master of Ships for the Iron Throne, painted 35 years after the Conquest, to commemorate a Great Reaving in Essos.

After the conquest of the Iron Islands Aegon returned to his still unfinished fortress at the mouth of the Blackriver, which men had started calling the "Aegonfort" in that time. There he met with the High Septon, who had travelled from Oldtown to meet the man who had proclaimed himself King of all of Westeros, and take his measure. The High Septon took up residence in a Sept that the faithful of Aegon's retinue had set up on a hill close to the Aegonfort, and while he awaited the return of the King he fasted and prayed for seven days and seven nights, asking the guidance of the Seven, and he received a vision that Aegon's line were destined to rule the Seven Kingdoms.

Upon meeting with the King he agreed to crown Aegon as King of Westeros, in return for a promise that the Crown would act to protect the Faith for all time. Aegon agreed. But one hurdle yet remained, as Aegon, after the manner of a Valyrian Dragonlord, had taken two of his sisters as wife. Under protest the Faith agreed to respect Aegon's marriages, and the marriages of any Valyrian who desired to maintain the practice, although ever since that day it has been a contention within the Faith if this truly is the will of the Gods or not.
Aegon sent word to all his vassals to assemble at the Aegonfort, and there he was crowned, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Protector of the Realm and the Faith.

The Coronation of Aegon the Dragon as King of Westeros, 101 years after the Doom of Valyria.
It took place on the hill that would later be known as Visenya's Hill, for she would be buried in the Sept that stood upon it. The Sept, at the time of the coronation, could however not hold the multitude of Lords from the Riverlands and the Iron Islands who attended it, so it was held in sight of the Gods, under the open sky.
Included in the painting is Crispian Celtigar, Daemon Valyrion, and Quentyn Qoherys, as well as Edmyn Tully, who later would be named as Lord Paramount of the Riverlands, who received the honour of attending the coronation up close, while the throng of Lords attending stood lower on the hill, looking up at the ceremony from further afar.
At Aegon's knee was sat the young Prince Maegor, Aegon's intended heir, and behind him stand his Queen Visenya and his half-brother and Hand of the King, Orys Baratheon, who would later become Lord of the Stormlands.
Rhaenys was not included in the official coronation, as it was made clear to Aegon that it would be unseemly for his new vassals to see him flanked by two Queens at such an occasion, and he grudgingly agreed.

Following his coronation ravens were sent to all the remaining Kingdoms who had not yet submitted. But they would still not join him. Queen Rheanys was dispatched to the Eyrie, where she took the young King Ronnel Arryn on a flight at the back of her dragon, Meraxes. His mother and regent, Sharra Steelwing, took the hint that not even the Eyrie would be impregnable to a Dragonrider, and the Vale submitted. Torrhen, King of the North, sent word that he would talk to Aegon if he would agree to parley at Moat Cailin, and Aegon flew by himself to meet the King, and terms were agreed upon for the submission of the North, and Aegon vowed that in exchange for the bloodless submission of the Northerners the Crown would assure a steady supply of men for the defence of the Wall.

Aegon then called on his banners to gather their men at the Aegonfort, and prepare to march on Storm's End, the fortress of Stormking Argiliac the Arrogant. In response Argiliac called on his own banners and laid siege to to the small fortress of Brokenhelm on Massey's Hook, the Masseys having abandoned the Stormking and sworn fealty to Aegon the year before.
Although outnumbered two to one the three dragons easily turned the tide of the battle as Aegon's host, supported by his vassals from the Riverlands, descended upon the Stormking and broke the siege, forcing him to flee back towards Storm's End with what remained of his army. After defeating the Fells, Farrings and Grandisons at the battle of Farring Cross the host marched south with haste, towards Storms End, where Argiliac was gathering those of his bannermen who still had forces left. Outside the walls of the great fortress the ultimate battle of the war was fought. Queen Visenya landed her dragon behind enemy lines, at a small height where Argiliac himself stood, commanding the battle, and bravely dismounted her dragon, drew her Valyrian sword Dark Sister, and challenged the Stormking to a duel on foot. Argiliac accepted, and the battle was fierce, but ultimately the arrogant Stormking bested Visenya, wounding her and forcing her to withdraw to Vhagar. The dragon flew her to safety, to the port at Bywater, where she boarded a ship for Dragonstone to recieve treatment for her wounds by the castle's Maester, but although the haughty King claimed Dark Sister he could not claim the battle, as Balerion and Meraxes bore down on him, shattering his lines. He could but watch from a distance as Balerion descended upon his holdfast with dragonfire, killing hundreds of it's inhabitants, including his wife, as he retreated to Poddingfield, where he would later live out his days, serving as Master at Arms to his former vassals, the Peasburys of Greatstock.

As Aegon's men searched the firescorched castle they came upon Argella, Argiliac's daughter and presumed heir, who had survived the blaze, and Aegon decreed, as he had suggested to Argiliac some years ago, that she would marry Orys, his half-brother, and that he would be the new Lord of the Stormlands. Orys and Argella agreed to the terms, and all the surviving Stormlords gathered in the hall of the Fist, at the heart of the Stormkings holdfast, and there proclaimed Orys Baratheon their Lord, and Orys adopted the words and device of the Durrandons, and sat himself on his throne, swearing eternal fealty to his half-brother.

But while this took place at Storm's End a great tragedy would befall the King. A great storm moved in over the Blackwater Bay, as is common in those waters, and the ship bearing Queen Visenya to Dragonstone was lost at sea. The first indication of what had befell the ship was Vhagar, who in grief ravaged many villages on the coast, killing and burning as he went, until he finally settled in a nest at Driftmark, from which he occasionally still to this day launches out, killing livestock and people all around the Bay, earning him the nickname "The Jade Menace" from the peasant population of the area.



Bereft of his Queen, sister, and one of his Dragonriders, Aegon still would not relent, and give in to grief, but marched west to meet the armies of the Reach at Kingsfeast, for the Reach had marshalled it's armies and invaded the lands of the Stormlander marcherlords in the west. In the Westerlands King Loren the Warlock was doing the same, and his forces were making their way south to join the Gardeners. Their combined forces held overwhelming numerological advantage over Aegon, but the speed at which Aegon managed to march his armies to Kingsfeast surprised them utterly and more than sixty thousand men of the Reach would be annihilated in the field, with Aegon's forces reportedly only suffering a thousand men lost. After this devastating loss King Mern Gardener, last King of the Reach, bent his knee, and was allowed to retain his seat in Highgarden, and serve as Lord Paramount of the Reach. King Loren arrived at Aegons camp a week later, and he, too, kneeled and swore fealty to Aegon. Taking the swords of the knights killed at Kingsfeast, Aegon had Balerion melt them with dragonfire, and fashioned from them a throne, an Iron Throne, which he erected in the hall of the recently finished Aegonfort.

There that day when he brought his new throne into his keep Aegon would also establish his Kingsguard, 9 Knights who swore their lives to his protection.

Painting commemorating the 9 original members of the Kingsguard, led by Corlys Velayron.
[OOC: So, and explanation is in order here. There is an event when you form the Kingsguard. It calls 5 historic members to join. Only, two of those members had already married, so they became Kingsguard without actually being qualified for it, meaning they were Schrödinger's Kingsguard... They had the trait, they wore the armour, they were called for events that included Kingsguard, but they couldn't actually hold the council position of Kingsguard... and also allowed me to recruit other to fill out the intended 7. In-universe the Kingguard will later shrink to 7, to have that symbolic number, but this hasn't happened yet in the timeline of when this book was written, so as far as the author is concerned, the Kingsguard is 9 knights, not 7.]

Furthermore, he reorganized the realm, for the lands around the Blackwater Bay had ever been a battleground between the Seven Kingdoms, sometimes held by Riverlords, sometimes by Stormkings, and sometimes by the Gardener Kings of the Reach. He decreed that all lands surrounding the Bay would answer directly to him, and took them as his personal vassals, for the scant population of Dragonstone could not provide for a Royal Army. He then named Edmyn Tully, the first of the Riverlords who swore his fealty Lord Paramount of the Riverlands.

But the conquest was as of yet unfinished.

Only one Kingdom still stood defiant to the King of the Iron Throne, Dorne. And even seeing what Aegon was capable of the Princess of Dorne, Meria, refused Aegons demands. Intense negotiations followed, for Aegon hoped to conquer Dorne without bloodshed, as he had the Vale and the North. Queen Rhaenys flew to Sunspear to negotiate, but the Princess would just keep repeating her house words at her. Frustrated, after two years of pointless negotiations, Aegon ordered the invasion of Dorne. The marcherlords and the armies of the reach easily routed the Dornish armies in the west, and laid siege to their castles, but in truth it was all an diversion. Taking the passes would take years, and the death of untold men. The true strike would fall on Sunspear itself. The Dornish fleets were easily defeated by the Valyrion fleet under Deamon the Seahorse, and a host of fifteen thousand marines, recruited from the sailors in the Blackwater Bay, and led by Aegon himself atop Balerion struck from the sea directly at the Dornish capital. And although Balerion recieved hails of arrows he would sweep the battlements and walls clear, and the marines, alongside Aegon's most elite knights, would rush into the city and the Martell keep, securing it, and capturing the Princess and all the children of her family.

The Submission of Dorne, showing Meria Martell being brought before Aegon and Rheanys in chains by Deamon and Corlys Velayron in Year 2 after the Conquest.

And with that Aegon's Conquest was finished. Forever he shall be known in the histories as Aegon "the Conqueror", for no one has ever performed a feat to match his.

In 5 years he brought an entire continent to heel, 7 Kingdoms, united under one Throne. In a thousand years his name shall still be spoken of with reverence for his unmatched accomplishments. Following the conquest much of the old Aegonfort would be demolished, and work began on a larger holdfast, worthy of a King, which Aegon named "Meagor's Holdfast", for this was the fortress from which he intended his heir to rule from when he had passed. Although it would later simply be renamed as the Red Keep after Maegor rejected his inheritance.

Excerpts from the personal journals of King Aegon
[OOC: These excepts, unlike the above, which were meant for public reading, are to represent Aegon's more internal, private, reflections, on various events during his reign. I give them to you largely without context regarding the events that prompted them. The point isn't the events themselves, but how Aegon reflects upon them in his private journal. They will be presented in a reverse chronological order, from most recent to oldest, from the sick old man, to the idealistic young man who just formed a great Kingdom]

Dated 27th of 9th Moon, 71 years after the Conquest

​

"Aegon the Conqueror". That is what they call me. That is the name which I have earned, with which I shall go down in history.

How I wish they would instead call me "Aegon the Builder". I have indeed fought in 26 wars. I have indeed conquered. But now, as I look back at it, as much as those wars and conquests have defined me in the history books, I do wish that what I have built would instead be my legacy. Kings Landing was a couple of empty hills when I landed. Now at that same spot sits the greatest city in the Seven Kingdoms, guarded by the mightiest walls, and the mightiest keep, able to break any invader that would strive to take it. I have funded farms that feed this city, hospitals that treat it's sick, walls and defences that protect them, and a Godswood greater than any other keep in the Realm.

I am now 97 years old. My body is frail, and I suspect this damned cough will be the end of me, and after I am dead they will not remember me for the city I built, the people I fed and protected, the laws I enacted or the justice I brought to the wicked.

They will only remember me for all the people I killed.

Dated 8th of 12th Moon, 69 years after the Conquest
​

I have given up hope. It is a harsh thing for a father to say, but I have given up Gaemon for dead. He left several months ago on an expedition to recover artifacts from lost Valyria, but we have not heard from him in two months. One day the ravens just stopped coming. I fear the Doom have claimed yet another of Valyria's sons. Even a century and a half after that accursed day the Doom is still claiming us. One by one.

A few of my expeditions have returned. But not enough. I am starting to despair if this quest, which now has claimed the life of my son, is a foolish one. Perhaps Valyria will forever keep it's secrets, and these expeditions are nothing but foolishness. I still remember the plague brought back by one of the expeditions with horror. Corpses piled into heaps in the streets of Kings Landing.

Perhaps the wise thing to do is forget the old Homeland, leave it behind, and let the ghosts claim it. But if only we could rediscover the secrets that built the Freehold. The magic. The creation of Valyrian steel. The CAUSE of it's downfall, perhaps it will be worth all the lives and resources.

We must continue. I cannot just give up. The key, the key to everything, lies in those ruins.

Dated 3rd of 7th Moon, 52 years after the Conquest
​

My son Meagor is dead. I had to force my hand to write those words. Maegor, my firstborn son, were slain by my own grandson Daeron. Had I not witnessed it with my own eyes I would not have believed any witness, no matter how they swore on the Gods that they spoke truth, that a member of my own family would perform such a deed.

I still remember the day he was born, in an armycamp in the Riverlands. He was so little, but held so much promise for our family. An heir to take over the Kingdom I was building. He grew up, fulfilling every hope I had in him. And the day he joined the faith as a Septon it broke my heart. We had argued. He did not wish to marry Alara, the daughter of the Lord of the Reach. He was such a headstrong boy. I raised him to be a King, and he did not take commands easily. Rather he renounced his birthright. But he did not go off. He stayed with me, ever my friend, confidant and leader of my armies.

I have set the date of execution for Daeron for tomorrow morning. He will be consumed by Balerion's dragonfire. I do not take this decision lightly, as a kinslayer is cursed by the Gods, but Daeron's crime is too great for me to be satisfied just sending him to serve out his days at the wall.

Since the day he dedicated himself to the service of the Gods Maegor may not have been my heir, but he will always be my firstborn son.

I think a part of my soul died today.

Dated 20th of 5th Moon, 48 years after the Conquest
​

The Caswell forces have broken, and the remains are limping back towards Stonebridge. With the Caswells shattered, alongside the defeat of the Rowan forces last week, and the Meadows' army the week before that, the rebel forces are sure to sue for peace. The formalities remain, but for all intents and purposes the rebellion is over.

It has been a gruelling 6 months. One can't imagine a more beautiful setting for a war, yet our presence here make it ugly. All the manorhouses have been given up to treat the wounded. Our horses tramples the harvest and hungry soldiers rip grapes which were meant to produce the finest wines straight from the wine, just to gather the strength to keep going another day. The rebels have hung loyalists, peasant and noble alike, from the branches of beautiful trees that line idyllic paths where young lovers would have walked hand in hand, declaiming poetry to each other this time just last year.

The death of Rhaegar, a month ago now, shook both me and Aelor to the core. To think that Tristan, a knight who owes his very Lordship to me, would join in this rebellion, and then go on to slay a prince on the field of battle, in the presence of both his father and his son. Aelor have only been a Kingsguard now for a month, but his actions during the battle for New Barrel proves he is worthy. I shall name him as Lord Commander when the time comes. The boy deserves it, not by birthright, as a Kingsguard he has left all of that behind him, but to keep his head after the death of his father proves that he will be a suitable leader, one day.

Still, I think back to all those of my family I have lost. Rhaegar at New Barrel. Rheanys Brightflame at the battle of Goldpeppers during the Dornish rebellion. Ny namesake Aegon at Tumbler's Falls during the Hightower uprising. Valarr at the Sweetport Docks during the Sweetport Revolt, and Orys at Eagle Cross during the Whiteharbour war. All these wars, all this death. We thought, well, I thought atleast, that after the Conquest we would enter a golden era of peace in all of Westeros. Uniting all under a single throne, united in purpose. But men will always find a reason to fight it seems.

Where is the long summer? Where is Aegon's peace? It was supposed to be peace. I made that promise. But in enforcing it I have spilt almost as much blood as during the wars to establish it.

Dated 25th of 4th Moon, 45 years after the Conquest
​

My niece Johanna reached out to me today. She is claiming mistreatment at the hands of her husband, Lord Cleomar. I have had agents dispatched to Griffin's River Hold to get her safely away from the brute. This will of course break our alliance with the Lord, but I feel her testimony of her mistreatment holds true. What have the world come to when a minor Lord of the Stormlands dare disrespect the aunt of the Lord of Storm's End like this? The absolute chaos of the Stormlands since the death of Orys is nothing less than shocking to me. I fear it is in the national character of the Stormlanders. But this constant chaos these last 20 years need to cease. But how can I interfere from my throne without undermining Lord Ronnal even further? Despite his marriage to my granddaughter for 20 years he is yet to produce an heir. Does the fault lie inherent in him?

The Stormlands are my eternal headache.

Dated 25th of 7th Moon, 43 years after the Conquest
​

Princess Deria passed away during the night, in her chambers in the Tower of the Hand. For 30 years now she has been my constant companion, my comfort. I always suspected Rhaenys knew. Yslaine I don't think knows. Although I love her dearly, as I loved both Rhaenys and Deria, she is not the most clever. She would not have been able to hide it from me if she even suspected. But I have loved Deria since before Yslaine was born. She has served me well as a vassal, and under her leadership Dorne has been true to the throne at every turn, and as Hand she have excelled, as she did as Master of Coin before that.

I shall have to talk to my squire Blaise. I wonder if his mother ever told him? If she did he have made no indication of it. But I need to know for sure.

Dated 12th of 6th Moon, 38 years after the Conquest​

The Reach situation keeps escalating. I fear that general war will soon break out. Meryn's usurpation of Aymer's lordship might not have been entirely legal, but I have publicly stated my support for it anyway, going so far as to marry his daughter in an effort to stabilize his hold over the Reach, but it is slipping, more and more every day. Both Horn Hill and Goldengrove have stated that if lordship is not returned to Highgarden they will march for Manderside. I will be obligated to intervene, and if he is forced to crush two of his most powerful vassals that will hardly further endear him to his lords. Atleast Oldtown still sits at the fence on the issue.

Dated 15th of 7th Moon, 33 years after the Conquest
​

I have finally managed to reach accord with the new High Septon. We have been in negotiations for years now regarding the Faith's stance on Valyrian marriage-customs, and as long as the Septons out in the Kingdom kept denouncing our practices as abominations we could never truly have peace with the Faith, with them counselling our own vassals against our very nature.

A new doctrine have been agreed upon. The Septons call it the Doctrine of Exceptionalism, that members of the Targaryen dynasty shall forever more be allowed to marry their close relatives, including their siblings, to keep the blood of the Dragon pure, and undiluted. While this doctrine, despite my objections, would not be extended to my Valyrian vassals such as the Qoherys and the Valeryons I have accepted the compromise. The Qoherys still have not accepted the Gods of this land anyway, and the Valeryons have given their ascent in a spirit of cooperation and friendship to the Crown and the Faith.

Dated 9th of 8th Moon, 21 years after the Conquest
​

The High Septon drew his last breath tonight. I have stayed by his side now for 3 months, here in the Great Sept the Faith have erected over the grave of my dear Visenya, while spending my days in prayer and meditation at Visenya's grave. A bit of political theatre, to put it crassly, but the decrepit sickness of my old friend, and the remainder of my dear sister have honestly put me in a spiritual frame of mind. This man crowned me. During our long friendship he have always been honest with me I feel. Was his part, his visions, also political theatre to ease the inevitable defeat of the Westerosi Kings, allowing them to keep face while still submitting, or were they true? My own visions have confirmed the need for my line to hold lordship over these lands, who am I to say that the old man's visions were not equally true?

Just ten months ago my maester Aladore, who I considered a great friend, also died. Though I have resisted every effort of the citadel to send a new maester to serve me since then, on account of my vision, the Grey Rats feasting on the corpse of a great dragon, I wonder over it's significance. Why would the maesters ever oppose me? They are by nature non-political. And Aladore was a great friend to me. It bears thinking about.

Dated 21st of 6th Moon, 6 years after the Conquest
​

My heart sings tonight. Rheanys have given birth to twins. I have decided to name then Rheagar and Rheanys, and declared that one day they shall marry one another. Just last year Valarr was also born, he just recently started speaking his first words. Although Meagor, Bealor and Daemon will always have my love, Valarr and the twins represent something new. A bright future for Westeros. The first Targaryens born in my new Kingdom.

Bless them, and may they know nothing but peace in their lives!

Dated 11th of Third Moon, 6 years after the Conquest
​

Today I was knighted by Lord Oswyle Tarly. It is the custom of these lands, and this faith, to recognise great men with a knighthood, and after I unhorsed all challengers at the Lords Tourny in Horn Hill he, as a knight himself, bestowed knighthood upon me. It seems strange that a lower Lord is able to honour a King in this manner, but such is the custom of these Kingdoms, and I accepted the honour in the spirit in which it was given.

I swore to defend the weak and the helpless, and to oppose evil, and hold true to the Seven Gods, and then he touched his sword at my shoulders and named me a knight. Tomorrow I start preparing for the next part of the tournament. I will have victory.

Notable individuals, during the reign of Aegon the Conqueror
[OOC: So this section is just for notable characters, but where I couldn't think of a suitable framing-device for, so they are simply presented as they would have been known by the people in the Seven Kingdoms, with their own little story, but without it being presented by any character in particular. I do like using the framing device of in-universe accounts of various types, but it is also sometimes restrictive, so here I'll break it and just tell someone's story straight up.]



Prince Meagor "the Anvil" Targaryen
Born 100 years after the Doom
Dead 52 years after the Conquest
​

Maegor was the firstborn son of Aegon the Conqueror, and intended heir. A son of Rheanys, he early showed great promise as he took to his father's tutelage with great vigour, proving not only great promise as a commander, but also as a swordsman and a rider.

He was the mirror to his fathers character aside from a single trait, for Maegor was a very kind man, speaking softly, and always making times for those in need, whereas his father was consumed by his great works, and often forgot the smallfolk in his eagerness to elevate his Kingdom.

He would have made a great King, all agree, but the very imperiousness and bravery that he took from his father would put a stop to that, as he objected to his marriage to Elara Gardener, an pact that Aegon had made with the Lord Paramount of the Reach and were not willing to break. Storming out of Meagor's Holdfast, the new fort his father had built and named after him in anticipation of his rule, he raced his horse through the still-forming, chaotic streets of the early form of what would one day become the great city of Kings landing, up to the Sept at Visenya's Hill, and there demanded to speak with the High Septon. He implored the High Septon to make his father release him from the pact, but the High Septon explained to him that the laws of marriage were the laws of Men, not the laws of the Gods, and that a father always had the right to marry off their sons, for just as the Father Above rules the Heavens, the father of a a family rules his own hearth.

"Well then." the young prince said, his voice carrying the air of command that had been imparted unto him by his father, "Then I request that you consecrate me as a Septon of this Sept. I am qualified. I can read, and write, and I carry the fire of the Seven in my Heart, and I know their laws, and the methods of their worship, as you yourself have taught me. My father is powerless to stop me from taking on this holy role, and I request it with purity in my heart. Make of me a priest of the Faith.".

The High Septon, who held great love and reverence for the King, hesitated, but the boy's reasoning was sound. By the laws of the Faith his request could not be denied, for he could think of no legitimate spiritual Reason why Maeger could not be a Septon.

The next day Maegor approached his father at their appointed time, for he was squire to the king and they were to practice swordsmanship that morning, but rather than wearing his armour as was expected he approached his father wearing the clothes of a Septon, and he declared that he would not become a knight, for he had accepted another holy calling instead. He also declared that he, as a Septon, could not accept his inheritance, or marriage to Elara Gardener, for as a Septon his life would be dedicated to the Gods alone.

And although Aegon held great love for his son, he would not speak again with him for several years after that, shunning him for his perceived betrayal.

But in the 19th year after the Conquest Whiteharbour, alongside the Dustins, Lockes and Umbers rose in rebellion against their liege lord, Brandon Stark, attempting to unseat him in favour of a younger brother. This would become known as the Whiteharbour War, and the King went north to support his vassal against this attempted usurpation. As the Royal army was gathering at the port an figure clad in pitch-black armour in the manner of the Valyrians, carrying a shield marked with the three-headed dragon of the Targaryens approached the Royal retinue, and kneeled before the King. The King could recognise Maegor, for the manners of his movement were well-known to the King. Maegor spoke:

"Hail King! I am a warrior of the Faith. I beg you to accept me for your retinue as you travel to the North, for the High Septon have charged me to carry the torch of the Faith Militant into those lands where the people do not know the Seven! The cause of the Kingdom is the cause of the Gods!"

" I know you Maegor, and I accept your sword, for it will surely be needed. You are still my son, as surely as you are the son of the Gods, and though they have claimed you I bear them no ill will for that. Were I a God, I too would have claimed you, so I cannot resent them for that."

And with that Maegor would re-enter service to his father, while still maintaining his role within the faith, being a shining beacon amongst the order of the Faith Militant and bridge the gap between the Royal family and the Faith.

​

The young Meagor challenged all to a pas-de-ármes at the tourney of Nightsong, earning the nickname "the Anvil". For although he never would accept the title of knight, he would fight in many tournaments, and win great honours.

Maegor would soon be named Master At Arms by his father, and serve the Kingdom by training generations of knights and captains in the arts of war that his father had taught him.

He would fight at his father's side in all the wars that came after, including the War of Aegon's Bastard, the Hightower uprising, the Sweetport Revolt and Lord Leyton's War, and notably personally slay Jaenara Velaryon, sister of Aethan the Seasnake, in single combat during the Seasnake's revolt against Prince Baelor, at the battle of Dragonstone.

28 years after the Conquest he would recieve the rare honour of a dragons egg, from which he would hatch the dragon Pantera, who would be his mount during the War of Aegon's Bastard, and he Rode Pantera at the battle Goldpeppers, although he could not change the outcome of that fateful battle.

He was murdered by his nephew, Daeron Targaryen, for reasons still unclear to this day. And Daeron isn't talking. Daeron is a pile of ash, burned by Balerion under the direction of King Aegon.

Portrait of Maegor Targaryen, firstborn son of Aegon the Conqueror, Master at Arms of the Seven Kingdoms for 30 years, Septon and Dragonrider. One of the greatest warriors of his age.

Prince Blaise Waters
Born 26 years after the Conquest, in Sunspear
Son of Princess Daria the Wise of Dorne, Hand of the King
As of the current year serving as a steward in the Nights Watch

Ser Blaise Waters, bastard son of Aegon the Conqueror, now a sworn brother of the Nights Watch, was born as Prince Blaise Nymeros-Martell of Dorne, fourth son of Princess Deria.
When he was 16 he recieved an request from King Aegon himself, requesting the young Prince come to Kings Landing to serve as his squire. Of course no boy in the Seven Kingdoms would refuse such an offer, and the Prince set off the very next day. He squired for the King for several months, until he learned of Aegon's ulterior motive. Blaise's mother, who long had been a paramour of the King, had confided in Aegon that Blaise in fact must be his son, rather than Lord Terrence's, who was her husband at that time. The timing of her pregnancy could work out no other way. An though they had agreed to keep it a secret, the thought of his unknown son had gnawed at the back of the mind of the King for all those years.

After the death of his paramour, who had spent the last years of her life living in King's Landing while serving as Hand of the King, he decided to invite Blaise to squire for him, to get to know the boy. The King was not impressed. Blaise was shy, fickle, and callous towards the less fortunate while being notably slow. Not a talanted fighter either. The boy held few redeeming qualities, but Aegon still decided to confide in him the circumstances of his conception.

Initially shocked by this revelation, Blaise asked the King to keep the secret, and take it to his grave. But his circumstances would change quickly. 3 years later a revolt broke out against his half-brother Damion in Dorne.

Damion was the oldest son of Deria, her only son by her first husband, Lord Tymond Lannister, son of King Tymond Lannister and brother to Lord Loren, Lord Paramount, and the last King of the Westerlands. And while the boy bore the name Martell, he had been raised in his father hall, at the Crimson Field, a small Lannister hold that rests in the shadow of the Rock. As far as the Lords of Dorne were concerned, Damion was a Lannister, and not a Dornishman, and were thus unacceptable as Prince of Dorne. They put their support behind Blaise and raised their weapons in his support. Why they choose Blaise over his far more competent older brother Tremond is likely due to his close connection to the King, as his squire, although mean whisper say that they expected Blaise to be far easier to control.

As news reached the capital that Damion had been ousted, and the lords of Dorne had chosen Blaise as their new Prince, Aegon knighted the boy, and sent him to Sunspear to take his throne there. But as soon as he arrived he declared himself, before the assembled Dornish nobility, the son of Aegon, and a Targaryen, despite his own insistence to Aegon that the secret must never come out. Aegon sent ravens to Sunspear, demanding that Blaise openly denounce any claim to the Iron throne, saying that if he would do so no action would be taken against his rule in Dorne, and he would be allowed to take a new name and rule Dorne with a new branch of the dynasty. But the offer was refused. The Dornish nobility, still holding a great grudge against Aegon since the conquest, more so than any other people of the realm, declared Blaise the rightful King of the Iron throne, and took up arms against Aegon.

The war that followed, often called the War of Aegon's Bastard, or simply the Dornish revolt, would be the first true test of Aegons Kingdom and his hold over his vassals.

Outside of Dorne, few entertained Blaise's claim, but many lords choose to simply stay at home rather than march on Dorne when called. Still, the loyalist side greatly outnumbered the rebels and victory seemed assured. Just as during the first invasion of Dorne 40 years earlier it would be a two-pronged attack. The marcherlords would quickly march in and besiege the fortresses in the Dornish mountains, and await reinforcments from Oldtown and the Westerlands, drawing the main weight of the Dornish forces west, while the ships of the royal navy would prepare the grounds for the Royal forces to land to support the loyalist houses of Allyrion and Toland in eastern Dorne, after which they would march on Sunspear itself.

Aside from the King himself the loyalists brought his two additional Dragonriders into the fight, Princess Rhaenys Brightflame, atop Vhagar, and Prince Maegor, atop the significantly smaller Pantera, who was young as dragons go, at only 18, and who did not bring the awesome power of ancient dragons such as Vhagar and Balerion, but were still worth more than a hundred knights in usfulness on the field of battle.

At first everything went according to plan. But the battle of Goldpepper changed everything. The forces were fairly evenly matched between the loyalists and the rebels, but the Dornish forces were of higher quality, representing the elite of that land, and while the Royal force contained many great knights and Aegon's own Dragonguard as well as a force of 250 heavily armoured riders the terrain favoured the Dornish, who fought in their own homeland, and whose methods of war were adapted to their homeland.

After several days of fighting, for the Dornish would not commit to a pitched battle if they could avoid it, the King were resting in his tent, sharing an evening meal with his daughter Rhaenys after long days atop their dragons. In the skys above Maegor soared, keeping track of the Dornish movements, but he missed a small detachment of Dornish knights that snuck through the lines, led by Josua Qorgyle. 20 Dornish knight threw themselves at the Kingsguard, distracting them from Lord Josua and his man Ulwyn who entered the tent from the back, cutting through the fabric with their scimitars and rushing in. Taken by surprise, and exhausted, Rhaenys didn't even have time to grab her weapon before Lord Josua cut her throat with a vicious swing of his sword, while a fight erupted between the King, who had managed to grab Blackfyre, and Ulwyn. A far superior fighter King Aegon was, but it came down to bad luck, as he tripped on a turned-over chair, and fell to his back, and when he regained his wits he had Ulwen's sword at his throat. The two conspirators had only moments, and with a hard hit from the side of a blade to his temple the King was knocked unconcious, and unceremoniously loaded on a waiting horse outside the back of the tent. Lord Josua joined the frey with the Kingsguard to keep them distracted while his servant raced away with their price.

The war could have been decided there and then. Holding Aegon captive, without access to Balerion, with Rheanys dead and Vhagar having flown off in grief after losing another rider, the rebels could have pushed their demands. Although it would be unlikely that the lords of Westeros would have accepted a Dornish bastard on the throne they could have pushed for Dornish independence, with an sacred oath to respect it from Aegon, at pain of death. Or they could have just killed Aegon, throwing the loyalist war-effort into chaos while Prince Baelor tried to re-establish control. But fate intervened, for Ulwin lost his way in the darkness on the way back towards the Dornish lines, and as Aegon roused he managed to free himself and disappear into the bushes before the Dornish forces-proper could get a hold of him.

But word had reached the army that Aegon was taken, possibly dead, and with no one to lead them they started retreating back towards the coast, harried every step of the way by Dornish ambushes. But out in the wilderness Balerion had found his master, and he carried the wounded King to his army which was reforming into order under the leadership of Prince Maegor, at Faintkeep in the Ghost Hills, which were still held by loyalist Toland forces. From there the army marched east, straight at Sunspear. A diversionary force of 7000 Ironmen under their Lord Vickon Darkiron that had landed in southern Dorne and made a daring march across the southern deserts meanwhile kept the Dornish forces busy, and unable to intercept Aegons march on the capital.

Once arrived at Sunspear Aegon again unleashed Balerion, just as he had done 40 years earlier, killing many within the keep, and forcing Prince Blaise to come out and surrender himself or face death.

With that the war was over. As the Gods hate the kinslayer, Aegon could not bear to kill his son, despite his betrayal and hubris, and instead sent him to the wall. Other lords were punished in accordance with their role in the rebellion.

The King would spend a full year in Dorne after the war, dispensing justice to the responsible, redistributing lands and titles from the unworthy to the worthy, re-establishing order amongst the Dornish lords. His harsh treatment of the Ullers would cause their eternal hatred for him, and they would take up arms against him again during the Tyroshi incident, but that, as they say is a story for another time...

In the end Lord Tremond was granted Sunspear, and some time later confirmed as Lord of Dorne. But Aegon would no longer allow the Dornish lord to use the title "Prince".

Tremond, who had been badly burnt by Balerions fire during the siege of Sunspear, would later leave Sunspear, granting it to Felix Santagar as it's lord, ceding it as the eternal home and hold of the Martells, and retreat to Ghaston Grey, where he would set up his court, far from the bustling streets of Sunspear and Plankytown, far from the memories of that horrible day when death arrived at his ancestral home, death in the shape of a great black shadow, death in the form of fire.