Fandom Winds of Winter Lore (Incomplete)

[Rusty of Shackleford]

Complete History of the Last Century in Westeros
by Maester Jonathan of Winterfell
Chapter 1:
The Great House of Stark, King's in the North
On my recent return to the Citadel, the Archmaester has requested that I compile a complete history of our last century using personal experience, collected stories, and records from over the years. This has taken me quite a while, as the young Lord Theon was recently injured in a... dispute with the Whitehill's, but now I am finished. Speaking of young Lord Theon, who better to start with than the House of my Lord, the Stark's?

As we all know, Robb Stark seceded from the Seven Kingdoms and became the first King in the North in centuries. But he was killed in the infamous Red Wedding, and rule fell to his half-brother, Jon Snow. Jon Snow gathered the forces of Westeros against the threat of the White Walkers, something most maesters scoffed at. I cannot deny their existence due to the countless records by Lords and even maesters. But then things became... interesting. Jon Snow never produced an heir, so his half-sister, Sansa Stark, needed to marry to give him one. Specifically a bastard so she could keep her name. She married one of her personal guard, a man by the name of Ander Snow, and their son became The King in the North when he was of age. This man's name was Lord Rickon Stark, Second of His Name, Slayer of Dragons, The True King in the North.

Now, you may be asking: how did this man get the title of "Dragonslayer?" Well, it's a long tale, so we must start with the ressurected House Targeryen. Danerys Targeryen conquered all of Essos, her son Rhaegar attempting to conquer all of Westeros upon his ascension to the throne. He assembled a massive fleet of Unsullied along with a dragon of his own and sailed across the Narrow Sea, thus beginning the Targeryen Conquest. Bound by a treaty, Lord Rickon gathered the Northern armies and aided the Six Kingdoms. The Targaryen's were vicious, their fleet massive and seemingly unbeatable. The tides turned at the Battle of Gulltown, where Lord Rickon distinguished himself as a capable leader by firing a ballista into the heart of one of the dragons, earning him his infamous title of Dragonslayer.


King Rhaegar was beginning to get frustrated, and this led to him foolishly sailing around Westeros to attack King's Landing itself. His entire fleet attacked the city, and all hope seemed to be lost. But this was his downfall. You see, shortly after Stannis Baratheon's failed sacking of King's Landing before his ascension, the Lannister's put massive containers of wild fire underneath the city in case they would be needed again. So, a ship was filled with enough wildfire to burn down King's Landing and pushed into the fleet. The fleet was gone in less that a minute. But Rhaegar was untouched, mounting his dragon to fly back to Essos.

The Targaryen's haven't been seen since that day, but many fear they would return. Some travelers claim that Rhaegar's son says that he is the Prince Who Was Promised, and has a tendency to burn his enemies in the name of The Lord of Light. Of course, any bloke with a big ego and a high status can claim he is a messiah, and this so called Prince Who Was Promised has already come in the form of Jon Snow. My current Lord, Bryce, is the son of the Dragonslayer, and is worthy of his father's name. His son, Theon, is not quite what many think of when a Stark is mentioned. But he has his father's mind and way of thinking, so he may just be a good leader. The night is getting late, and I must retire. I think next time I will record what I have found on the fall of the great House Lannister's. Farewell.​

 

[Rusty of Shackleford]

Complete History of the Last Century in Westeros
by Maester Jonathan of Winterfell
Chapter 2:
"The History of Houses Lost to Time"
Many Houses fall. It's an inevitability. Whether it be from an inside or outside force, any House may fall at any time. But there are some Houses that were so powerful, and so renowned that their deaths left a rift in power not seen in centuries. Today I will tell you the three most recent examples: the Bolton's, the Tyrell's, and lastly the Lannister's.

First, I will start with the Bolton's, as I know the most of them. They were the last Northern House to bed the knee before the Starks, and until then we're the bane of the North. Their sigil was a flayed man, harkening to their love of flaying men alive to execute them. Their fall started with Ramsay Bolton, who is better known as "The Bastard of Bolton." Ramsay Bolton was, well, the bastard of Roose Bolton, and from the records leftover from his stay in Winterfell, along with the journals of the late Lord Ander and Lady Sansa, cite the man as, quoted by Lord Ander, "An insane, twisted man who finds enjoyment in the torture of others. He has a tendency to hunt Innocents with his starving dogs, and flaying others alive." You may be asking, "Well, how did this man become King in the North for a short while?" Well you see, Lady Sansa was not always the intelligent, tough woman she is most known for. She stated herself that she was once naive and trusting. She was friends with Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish, the grandfather of Lord Royce Baelish, who has recently married Lady Larah, God's save her. Anyway, Littlefinger sold her to the Bolton's, and she was married to Ramsay Bolton, thereby making him King in the North. It didn't last long. His actions led to Lord Ander and Lady Sansa to flee to find Jon Snow. Ramsay's actions mainly included violating Lady Sansa and forcing Lord Ander to guard outside their chambers so he could hear it. Needless to say, the Battle of the Bastards was a long time coming, and the death of Ramsay Bolton brought an end to House Bolton.

House Tyrell's fall won't take long. Margery Tyrell was to be married to Tommen Baratheon/Lannister, but was caught in the explosion of the Grand Sept of Baelor. Her brother wasn't into women, and he died as well. Oleena Tyrell was the only survivor, and she was far to old to have anymore children anyway. She was reportedly poisoned by Jaime Lannister. And thus ended the Tyrell's.

The Lannister's have a much more...bloody fall. It started when it was revealed that all of Cersei Lannister's children were fathered by her twin brother, Jaime. Then the War of the Five King's started. Tywin Lannister ordered the Red Wedding, only making the North stronger in the end. By the time of their fall, they had so many enemies it was only a matter of time before they fell. And they did. Tywin Lannister appointed the Gryff family to watch over Casterly Rock while he went on his campaigns. When he lost King's Landing, and Jaime Lannister disappeared, Tywin retreated with his daughter to Casterly Rock, only to find the gates shut. The Gryff's has used their position to get rid of the Lannister's, and become the new Lord Paramount's of the Westerland's. Their fall was swift, Cersei being killed by the now returned Jaime, with Tywin having been killed by Tyrion on the privy just before King Stannis took King's Landing. And so ends to great House Lannister's. From the lyrics of their ballad, "The Rains of Castemere," "And now the rains weep o'er his hall, with no one there to hear."

This ends my collection of notable Houses who have fallen in the last century. The Bolton's have since become a symbol of what happens to those who oppose the Stark's, a common threat to a House opposing the Stark's being, "Have you heard of House Bolton?" If they reply, "No, I haven't," then the Stark says, "Good. I expect them to answer them the same when I ask of your House." Intimidating and brutish, yes, but still effective. Tomorrow I will cover the history of Lord Bryce's grandfather Ander Snow in full detail, as many wonder how a bastard became King in the North. Farewell.

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