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degausser · 02-10-2016, 06:36 PM

When you play the game of thrones you win or you die. There is no middle ground.

Sometime in the undisclosed past, a supernatural event occurred to stretch out the seasons in Westeros for years at a time. Legend says that long before men set foot in Westeros it was inhabited by a number of fantastical creatures. Among them were the Children of the forest, who are rumored to have possessed a vast knowledge of magic, and for many a millennia, the Children along with giants, mammoths, and other fantastical creatures had been left mostly undisturbed. When the first men invaded Westeros, an alliance was formed and men were allowed to coexist so long as they left the forested areas to the Children. Shortly thereafter a large 300ft wall of ice was erected in the North to protect the southern lands from barbarian tribes beyond the wall, as well as the mythical undead creatures said to dwell in the northernmost lands where winter never ends. The ancient House of Stark has stood as guardians of the North and allies to the men of the Night’s Watch who devote their lives to patrolling the Wall. 4,000 years later brought the invasion of the Andals from the Eastern continent of Essos, and subsequently the Children of the forest were eventually driven to extinction, the secrets of their magic dying with them. The Andals brought with them a new religion called the Faith of the Seven and shortly thereafter the seven kingdoms were born.

The rise and fall of the Targaryen Dynasty
The seven kingdoms ruled themselves separately until four hundred years ago when Aegon the Conqueror invaded from the East and conquered six of the seven kingdoms with the aid of his two sisters and their three dragons. Only in the Southern most region of Westeros did he meet with any formidable resistance, and it would be centuries before Dorne finally fell to the rule of the Dragon Kings. For the first time in its history, the seven kingdoms of Westeros were united under one banner and from that point on the seven regions as a whole have been ruled from the Red Keep in Kingslanding. Aegon’s dominance bore a new dynasty and the next three hundred years saw the Targaryens rule the seven kingdoms of Westeros. Their Legacy is embodied by the Iron Throne, the seat of the King, and was forged by the breath of a dragon with the swords of Aegon Targaryen’s enemies.

As the years went on, Targaryen dominance over Westeros began to slowly fade. Whether it was the result of a long-standing incestuous bloodline making the Targaryen rulers increasingly insane, or the eventual extinction of their dragons, their demise is a popular subject of debate. In the end it was the young Lord of House Baratheon, a House fiercely loyal to the Targarayens normally, that lead the rebellion against Aerys II Targaryen, dubbed the “Mad King” in lieu of his propensity for public spectacles of brutish torture. When Robert Baratheon took the Iron Throne, he ordered the whole of the Targaryen lineage be purged from the Earth. The two youngest Targaryens fled to the East in exile. The years that followed saw little peace as a number of uprisings occurred in revolt over “The Usurper” sitting on the Iron Throne.

What followed was one of the longest summers ever experienced by Westeros, and as it slowly came to a close, the seven kingdoms were once again rocked by a number of civil wars. Beginning with the deaths of King Robert Baratheon and Eddard Stark of Winterfell, 5 Kings emerged with claims to both the Iron Throne and regional sovereignty. For years, the Great Houses of Westeros warred with one another as power in the capital shifted from the Baratheons to the Lannisters and the Tyrells. With the Starks losing their hold on the north and the rebel kings killing each other off, the seven kingdoms were left devastated and unprepared for the long winter approaching and the supernatural enemy from the north that came with it.

A more recent history
Everyone remembers the winter that followed the longest summer to date. Lasting for nearly eighteen years, winter brought both famine and death, the later taking on a terrifyingly corporal form. Children raised on stories of White Walkers thought to be extinct grew up to fight a nightmare that proved all too real. By the time Daenerys Targaryen rode across the sea on the back of her dragon, much like her former ancestor, she came not as a conqueror but instead a liberator of a people deeply entrenched in winter’s chilly hold. A clash of supernatural forces occurred shortly thereafter. United once again under the Targaryen banner, the seven kingdoms of Westeros, headed by a trio of dragons, finally drove the army of Whites back beyond the Wall in the North.

Today, nearly 60 years after that famous battle dubbed “The Battle of Fire and Ice,” the grandson of the Daenerys Targaryen now occupies the Iron Throne. Westeros has enjoyed a prolonged period of peace and prosperity and has enjoyed a particularly long summer not unlike the summer of Eddard Stark’s beheading some 80 years ago. But as everyone knows, a long summer brings an even longer winter. The Seven Kingdoms have long since grown restless and a shaky alliance between a Targaryen King and a Baratheon Queen currently rules in King’s Landing. Rumor has it that a bastard Targaryen heir is raising an army in the Riverlands and war seems almost imminent. The Seven Kingdoms have a short memory and while people clamor to make new claims for the Iron Throne, an old enemy quietly gathers strength north of the Wall.

“Starks are always right eventually. Winter is coming.”

The Great Houses of Westeros

House Targaryen of King’s Landing
“Madness and greatness were two sides of the same coin and every time a new Targaryen was born, the Gods would toss the coin in the air and the world would hold its breath to see how it would land.”

House words: “Fire and blood”
House sigil: Three-headed dragon
Ruling Domain: The Seven Kingdoms, The Crownlands and Dragonstone
In the recent history of Westeros, no dynasty has been more dominant than the Targaryen dynasty. It was nearly 400 years ago when Aegon the Conqueror rode across the Narrow sea on the back of a dragon, and in the 300 years that followed the Targaryens conquered almost all of Westeros and united the seven kingdoms under their banner. It was the Targaryens that built both the fortress of Dragonstone in the Narrow Sea as well as the Red Keep which serves as the royal palace in King’s Landing. It was also Aegon Targaryen who forged the Iron Throne; the swords of his enemies all gathered and melted by the fire of his dragon, Balerion the Black Dread. The Targaryens are pale with silvery hair and violet eyes, and notorious for maintaining a pure bloodline through incestuous marriages. It was only a hundred years ago that the Targaryens were unseated and exiled after King Aerys was murdered during Robert Baratheon’s rebellion. The Targaryens had been all but wiped out, but for the two youngest Targaryens who fled into exile in the East. In the end it was Daenerys Targaryen who emerged to reclaim the Iron Throne after decades of gaining a following in Essos and with the aid of her three dragons. Daenerys arrived just in time to reunite Westeros against the blight of the Whites invading from beyond the wall in the North. In the decades that followed, the Targaryens struggled to rebuild the war-torn lands of Westeros. Having abandoned the practice of purified bloodlines, the Targaryens arranged a number of shaky marriage alliances. The present Targaryen King is married to a Baratheon Queen; an alliance arranged by both families in an attempt to put their bloodied past behind them for good.

Characters:
The King (Rhys Ifans) dreamboat
Heir Apparent to the Throne (Boyd Holbrook) dreamboat
Daughter: (Jennifer Lawrence) degausser

House Baratheon of Storm’s End
“Do you think it’s honor that keeps them in line? Do you think it’s honor that is keeping the peace? It’s fear! Fear and blood!”

House Words: “Ours is the Fury”
House Sigil: Crowned Black Stag
Ruling Domain: The Stormlands
Although the name “Baratheon” is the youngest of the great houses in Westeros, their lineage can still be traced back to the Age of Heroes from 8,000-10,000 years ago in a time of peace that existed before the invasion of the Andals. The name of “Baratheon” first appeared in the form of Orys Baratheon, who served as one of Aegon the Conqueror’s great generals and was speculated to be one of his bastard brothers. The Baratheons were closely tied to the Targaryens for nearly 300 years as their families were joined by blood both on and off the field of battle. Consequently it was also a Baratheon who unseated the Targaryen empire after leading a rebellion against King Aerys Targaryen, and claiming the Iron Throne for his own. The Baratheons are an equally volatile and knavish people, and are often hardy in build with dark hair and light blue eyes. Their fickle and insolent personalities are better suited for waging wars on the battlefield than managing the subtler art of politics. King Robert Baratheon left the Kingdom in debt following his most suspicious death 80 years ago, which it only recovered from in recent decades. Relations between the Baratheons and the Targaryens remained shaky at best in the decades that followed the return of Daenerys Targaryen and the end of the War of Ice and Fire. Two decades ago a marriage was arranged between the Targaryens and the Baratheons in an attempt to right the wrongs of the past. The Lord of the Stormlands is the Queen’s brother; his eldest son serves in the Kingsguard and his youngest son is the heir to Storm’s End.

Characters:
Lady of Storm's End: (Cate Blanchett) degausser
Daughter: (Olivia Thirlby) dreamboat
Heir to Storm's End: (Josh Hutcherson) AtomicEmpress

House Stark of Winterfell
"Let me tell you something about wolves, child. When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives."

House Words: “Winter is coming.”
Sigil: The Direwolf
Ruling Domain: The North
The Stark way is the Old way; they keep the gods of the first men and the children of the forest. Starks trace their history back to the time of the first men in Westeros, who coexisted with the children of the forest before the Andals invaded from the south to conquer the southern lands. Their house words are unique in that they are not a boast but rather a warning that good times, like summer, are fleeting. It was a Stark that built the 300 foot wall that protects most of Westeros from the land of never-ending winter, and it is the Starks that have served as Wardens of the north, protecting the South from wildling tribes beyond the wall. The Starks are pale skinned with dark hair and darker expressions. They value honor and truth above all things, often to the detriment of their own well-beings. The Stark name suffered its fall from grace after Lord Eddard Stark was declared a traitor to the realm and subsequently executed; his eldest son, Robb Stark, led a rebellion during the War of the Five Kings. As Robb led his large northern host in the direction of King’s Landing, the North fell from their control, their fortress was sacked, while the remaining members of House Stark were either killed off or forced into hiding. It has only been in recent decades that House Stark has been able to piece itself back together, beginning with heading the war effort against the invasion of the Whites and ending with the reconstruction of Winterfell. Today House Stark has been reinstated as the principle Great House of the North, although it is a shadow of its former glorious self.

Charactes:
Lord of Winterfell: (Tim Daly) Captivating
Lady of Winterfell: (Jennifer Connely)
Son: (Nicholas Hoult) AtomicEmpress
Daughter: (Kaya Scodelario) degausser

House Lannister of Casterly Rock
“I will hurt you for this. A day will come when you think you are safe and happy, and your joy will turn to ashes in your mouth. And you will know the debt is paid.”

House Words: “Hear me roar.”
House Sigil: The Lion
Ruling Domain: The Westerlands
Great house of the Westerlands and the wealthiest of Houses in all the Seven Kingdoms, the Lannisters seat their house atop a literal goldmine under their fortress of Casterly Rock, and they serve as Wardens of the West. Although their official house motto is “Hear me roar,” the more common, unofficial expression associated with the Lannisters is “a Lannister always plays his debts,” for they are a fortuitous ally to have at one’s back as well as one’s coin purse. On the flip side of that coin, a Lannister never forgets when he has been wronged. Cross a Lannister and spend the rest of your days sleeping with one eye open. Known for being as clever as they are ruthless and brave, the Lannisters have always kept themselves close to the throne in one form or another. Whether serving as Hand of the King or ruling the whole of the Seven Kingdoms, the Lannisters always seem to be in the right place at the right time, though anyone would be a fool to believe their good fortunes are accidental happenstances. The Lannisters make their own luck. With fair skin and full heads of golden hair, the Lannisters are regal predators, and do not require an iron throne to validate their dominance. The man who truly rules the ream is the man who has the realm in his pocket. Long after the Lannisters left King’s Landing the Kingdom was still millions of septoms in their debt, and so the Lannisters remain influential to the King’s council. Today, another Lannister serves as Hand of the King, his children groomed for a matrimonial union with the royal family.

Characters:
Lord of Casterly Rock: (Tim Roth) degausser
Heir to Casterly Rock: (Chris Hemsworth) degausser

OTHER CHARACTERS/RESERVATIONS:

degausser: Lily James, Charlize Theron, Santiago Cabrera, Jason Isaacs, Aneurin Barnard and Pelin Karahan
Captivating: Emily Browning

Rules
1. There is no Boy/Girl rule but let's try to keep a relative even ratio.
2. Death happens in the Game of Thrones universe. If anyone loses interest in a character, someone will be no doubt happy to oblige in ridding you of their burden.
3. Have fun and be tasteful.

PROFILE:

Name:
Age:
House: The House they were born into/Married into and if they are of a lesser house, you can include the House they are sworn to
Theme Song: Optional
Personality: 5 relevant adjectives or you can omit this section altogether
Three Life Facts: Three relevant life facts pertaining to the character's history, personality, etc.
Taken By: You
Played By: Name and picture