Warning: no spoilers for the series can be found on this page.

 

Welcome to SIF's spoiler-free lore page. Here we go trough some lore to help the  people who haven't watched the show. Most of the information comes from the wiki of ice and fire. You should look there if you want any more information about a subject. Down below is a resume of the most important things. You do not need to read all this in order to play, though you do need some of it in your application. Ready?

 

Aegon's conquest

In the continent of Westeros there were seven kingdoms, ruled by seven great houses.

 

• Kingdom of the North, ruled by House Stark

• Kingdom of the Mountain and the Vale, ruled by House Arryn 

• Kingdom of the Isles and Rivers, ruled by House Hoare

• Kingdom of the Rock, ruled by House Lannister

• Kingdom of the Stormlands, ruled by House Durrandon

• Kingdom of the Reach, ruled by House Gardener

• Principality of Dorne, ruled by House Martell

 

On the other side of the narrow sea, in Essos, the great city of Valyria was destroyed. This is called 'The Doom of Valyria'. No one but a small group that fled a couple of years before, survived the destruction. This group settled on an Island, and built the castle of Dragonstone. It was house Targaryan, armed with ships, an army and three dragons. Aegon, leader of the house, saw chances in Westeros. He figured he could easily take a couple of squabling houses down. And so did he. The leader of house Durrandon, king Argilac, was afraid that the leader of house Hoare would attack his lands. Argilac sought help with Aegon, but the communication failed. Argilac ended up amputating Aegon's envoy. This was the excuse Aegon was waiting for, and he sent ravens to all kingdoms to declare war.

Aegon landed on the borders between the Kingdom of the Stormlands and the Kingdom of the Isles and Rivers, so that Argilac and king Harren of the Kingdom of the Isles and Rivers didn't know who should take action. There, Aegon put up a small castle what would later be King's Landing. He made a banner for house Targaryen, a red three headed dragon, and declared himself king of Westeros.

Aegon first attacked the Kingdom of the Isles and Rivers, with help of house Tully and the ironborn. The kingdom quickly fell, but king Harren didn't want to surrender, claiming his castle impenetrable. Aegon's dragon burned the castle with such a force that it melted, and killed king Harren, and the rest of his house. He elected house Tully to rule the kingdom for him, and gave the iron islands to house Greyjoy.

Aegon's bastard son marched for the kingdom of the Stormlands at the same time. Argilac decided he wanted to fight in the field, but was killed there. Aegon decided to give his bastard son a reward, and did so by letting him raise his own house. Since then house Baratheon ruled the Stormlands.

House Lannister and house Gardener decided to team up. Their army was huge, and was called: The Iron Fist, made to smash Aegon's forces. The Iron Fist and Aegon's forces met eachother in what was called 'The Field of Fire'. The grass was high and dry, and Aegon's dragons burned it, burning thousands of men with it. Also house Gardener died in the flames. House Tyrell, stewards of house Gardener, surrendered the reach to Aegon, and he let them rule in his stead. The Lannisters surrendered as well, keeping their position.

Before the fight in the north started, house Stark had already surrendered and secured their position in the North. Upon the defeat of the Lannisters and the Gardeners, House Arryn mobilized their army in anticipation of an invasion of the Vale of Arryn. However, upon seeing a dragon, boy-king Ronnel Arryn surrendered peacefully in exchange for a ride. The Arryns were the last great house to surrender in the War of Conquest.

House Dorne was never taken, as the Dornish would rather sit and watch in their desert lands then do anything. Aegon allowed them to keep their independence, and so the war ended.

Aegon collected the swords of his enemies on the battlefield, and forged from it the Iron Throne. This was the Throne of the king of Westeros.

After the conquest the Seven Kingdoms were nine regions, though it kept being called the Seven Kingdoms.

• The North, ruled by House Stark

• The Vale, ruled by House Arryn 

• The Riverlands, ruled by House Tully

• The Westerlands, ruled by House Lannister

• The Stormlands, ruled by House Baratheon

• The Reach, ruled by House Tyrell

• Dorne, ruled by House Martell
• The Iron Islands, ruled by house Greyjoy
• The Crownlands, ruled by House Targaryan

King's Landing was chosen to be the continent's capital.

 

Essos

Essos is the continent closest to Westeros. It's a much bigger and less populated continent, but there still are a lot of different cultures. Here are a few major playable essosi:

Dothraki

The Dothraki are a nomad horse people from Essos. They are excellent warriors, and amazing riders. They live in different khalasaars (clans) all lead by a khal. A khal can choose three bloodriders. These warriors will act as bodyguards of the khal. If a khal marries, the wife will be khaleesi. The khalasaar will listen to the khaleesi, but not without khal. A widow khaleesi will be brought to vaes dothrak, a holy dothraki city where violence is forbidden, to stay with all the other widow khaleesis in the dosh khaleen, to rule the city. If a khal is too weak to ride a horse he will be left.

The dothraki are mostly tanned, and have long black hair. The men let that hair grow in long pony-tails. Only when they are defeated in battle, they will cut them off. The Dothraki often have bodypaint to scare there enemies. They wear short leather armour to protect them, but nothing warm due to their hot climate. The women often don't cover their breasts, but naturally this is not allowed in the server. They fight with curved blades that look like sickles.

The Dothraki have there own language. They don't use moey, but instead just take whatever they want. They also use a lot of slaves from their fallen enemies, but in Westeros this is illegal. Dothraki do not trust salt water, because their horses cannot drink it. The literal term for "ocean" in the Dothraki language is "poison water". They refuse to sail in ships over the oceans. Thus they are not considered a threat by the Westerosi because they will not cross the Narrow Sea.

Braavosi

Braavos is one of the Free Cities located to the east of Westeros. It is the northern-most, the richest, and arguably the most powerful of the Free Cities. Described as a city of seafarers and master swordsmen, Braavos consists of hundreds of tiny islands connected by stone bridges. Its main landmarks include the Titan of Braavos, the House of Black and White and the city's famed Iron Bank. The people of Braavos are known as Braavosi.

More than any of the other Free Cities, Braavos is renowned for its ethnic diversity and religious tolerance. Since the founders of the city came from many different lands and possessed numerous physical appearances, there are no set features that mark a "Braavosi" ethnicity. This is in sharp contrast with some of the more ethnically homogeneous Free Cities, such as Lys (whose inhabitants are fair-skinned, blue, green or violet eyed and blonde) and Myr (where residents are dark-haired and dark-eyed with olive skin). Because the city founders worshiped many different gods, it was decreed that all faiths would be honored and that no one religion would be elevated above any other, although some faiths have more devotees- and thus larger temples- than others ( the Lord of Light being an outstanding example). Another defining trait of Braavosi culture is its hatred of slavery, a direct relic of the city's founding. The first law of Braavos- engraved on the arch that rises above the Long Canal- decrees that no man, woman, or child in the city is ever to be made a slave. In fact, Braavos is one of the very few places in Essos where slavery is not practiced (by contrast, the Free City of Volantis contains five slaves for every free man). However, they do sill have ties to it through the Iron Bank, who are financially invested in the slave trade. Braavosi swordsmen, or "bravos", are famous for their unique fighting style: Rather than donning armor and wielding heavy broadswords like the knights of Westeros, bravos wear virtually no armor at all and wield long, slender blades in an elaborate fencing-like style known as Water Dance. Unlike Westerosi nobility, wealthy and powerful Braavosi favor wearing dark colors.

Unsullied

The Unsullied are elite warrior-eunuchs bred and trained in Astapor, one of the three major cities of Slaver's Bay. They are slave-soldiers famed for their skills and discipline in battle. Unsullied battle tactics are based on the legions of the old Ghiscari Empire, with large groups of them fighting in lock-step phalanxes using spear and shield, though they are also trained to use shortswords for close-quarters combat. Slave-eunuchs trained to fight from birth, the Unsullied are renowned for their utter discipline on the battlefield, both in their usage of incredibly coordinated large unit phalanx formations, and because they will never break in the face of overwhelming odds, even to the point of death.

Unsullied training begins when the boys are five years old: some are selected to be Unsullied as infants and castrated then, though any slave boy up to the age of five may be later selected to be made into an Unsullied, and then castrated. For over a decade until they are full-grown, they train from dawn to dusk until they have mastered the shortsword, shield, and three lengths of spear, as well as their training to fight together as organized phalanxes. The training regimen is utterly brutal, and because of this, only one out of every four boys survives until the end. Because they are eunuchs, the Unsullied will not succumb to bloodthirsty or sexual urges in the midst of battle; their actions will only go as far as what they have been ordered to do, and nothing more. The Unsullied also seem resistant and even immune to pain. However, Unsullied do possess emotions and can show anger.

Ashai'i

Asshai is a mysterious port city in the far southeast of the known part of Essos. It sprawls for leagues across both sides of the Ash, and its great walls allegedly could contain Volantis, Qarth, King's Landing, and Oldtown combined. The population of Asshai, however, is no more than that of a good-sized market town. By night only one building in ten shows a light. The buildings, streets, and walls of Asshai are made out of black stone that seems to drink the light making the city appear to be a dark and gloomy place.

Asshai and its few people have an ominous reputation in other lands. Asshai'i are described as having a dark and solemn appearance. The Dothraki believe that Asshai'i are "spawn of shadows" and hold them in contempt and fear. There are no children in Asshai. All who dwell there wear masks or veils, and often walk alone or ride in palanquins of ebony and iron, hidden behind dark curtains and carried upon the backs of slaves. Only the shadowbinders of Asshai dare to travel upriver, and even they fear to tread before the doors of the Stygai, the corpse city. It is rumored that spellsingers, aeromancers, and warlocks practice their arts openly in Asshai. Asshai is open to all sorts of practitioners of the "higher mysteries", as well as torturers and poisoners. No practice is forbidden in the city, however depraved.

 

The Wall

The Wall is a massive barrier of mostly ice stretching across the northern border of the Seven Kingdoms, separating it from the wild lands beyond. The Wall is one hundred leagues long. Appearing as one of the nine wonders made by man in the book written by Lomas Longstrider, the Wall is defended and held by the Sworn Brothers of the Night's Watch. Those who join the Watch in order to avoid another punishment can be referred to as 'sent to the Wall.' The men of Night's Watch wear only black, and they are known as black brothers. Recruits who join the Watch are said to take the black.The Night's Watch consists of three orders: rangers, builders, and stewards. All are subject to the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, and each of the three orders is led by its own officer, the First Ranger, the First Builder, and the Lord Steward, respectively. These officers are appointed by the lord commander. Recruiters for the Night's Watch are called wandering crows. The organization also includes septons, maesters, and, at Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, sailors. Because brothers come from throughout the Seven Kingdoms or even Essos, there is an unspoken pact to not discuss politics or former loyalties.

When recruits are considered ready to take the black, they say their vows either in a sept or before a heart tree. The vows are as follows:

Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post. I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night's Watch, for this night and all the nights to come.

Brothers of the Night's Watch serve for life. It is customary to finish a black brother's eulogy with the words, "And now his watch is ended."Castle Black contains a lichyard, and knights can be laid to rest in ancient tombs near the lichyard or burned on a pyre.

The Night's Watch protects Westeros from all that lies beyond the wall. This mostly includes Wildlings, also called The Free Folk, but legends say there also live Giants, giant spiders, and White Walkers.

Religions

There are many religions in Westeros. The biggest of them are:

-The Seven (the new Gods)

-The Old Gods

-The Lord of Light

-The Drowned God

There are also people that are not religious at all.

 

The Seven

The Seven, or the New Gods is a religion that is mostly practised in the South. It's the biggest religion of Westeros. Only in The North and the Iron Islands it isn't the most common religion. 

The followers of the Seven believe there is one God with seven forms, or seven faces as they are called. The faces are:

-The Father (represents justice)

-The Mother (represents mercy)

-The Stranger (represents death)

-The Smith (represents creation)

-The Crone (represents wisdom)

-The Warrior (represents strength)

-The Maiden (represents innocence)

 

The Seven pointed star stands for the religion.

 

The Lord of Light

Most people from Essos believe in the Lord of Light.