Post by R'hllor, Lord of Light on Mar 27, 2015 21:35:16 GMT
On the day that Aegon the Conqueror began his war for Westeros, a race of ancient beings older than Westeros itself reappeared to defend their land against the beings of fire and hatred. Known as the Children of the Forest by legend, when Aegon flew from Dragonstone to start his conquest, the Children protecting their homeland created a massive earthquake, tearing the land of Westeros asunder from the Blackwater to Ironman's Bay, killing thousands and leaving a smoking swathe of sea due to the effects of the children’s magic. Aegon and his sisters feared that a repeat of the Doom of Valyria was coming and fled Westeros with their dragons, leaving behind destruction that even they couldn't cause. With contact to the opposite side of Westeros lost, the people of the new continents were left reeling in the aftermath of the Doom with few answers.
Those living in Northern Westeros remembered the ancient tales of the Children, and believed that whatever threat had made such destruction necessary was worth avoiding at any cost. The Northern Kingdom of Westeros were formed, composed of the Vale, the remainder of the Riverlands, and the North, unified under the banner of Lord Randyll Reed, who used his friendship with the Children of the Forest to seize power in the North, providing aid to the Riverlands and Vale to earn their loyalty. BRandon was crowned as the first King of Northern Westeros, and under his guidance the men of the North and the Night's Watch reached out to the Free Folk, expanding the kingdom to the mountains of the Frostfangs, eventually stopping at the barren wastes of the Lands of Always Winter.
South of the cataclysm, the lords of the Reach, Stormlands, Westerlands, and Dorne were left in disarray. Barely aware of the events they had just averted, many in what was now known as Southern Westeros rallied against the Children, driving them into the sea or their graves with steel and fire. With the demise of the heads of House Lannister and Gardener in the Doom, a charismatic young man named Cadwyn Durrandon declared himself King and spearheaded the charge against their enemies. Rallying support from those loyal to him in the Stormlands and those who had fought with him against the Children, King Cadwyn began a conquest of unification in southern Westeros, although he was quickly rivaled by the High Septon, who refused to see a kingdom bound together by subjugation and bloodshed. With the growing support of those faithful to the Seven, the High Septon created the greatest military order the Faith had ever seen, fighting and defeating the armies of King Cadwyn, sacrificing him in an attempt to appease the gods. Now leading the strongest force in southern Westeros unopposed, the Royal Septon unified the remaining lords under the banner of the Seven and formed the Southern Kingdom of Westeros, with Dorne being the last to bow.
Many ravens were sent by both kingdoms to each other and the Iron Islands, but few reached their destinations, and no response ever received from the Iron Islands, who were presumed to be demolished in the aftermath of the sundering. What little is known by the Southern Kingdom is that the North had survived the cataclysm, and forsaken the ways of the Seven to instead worship the very beings that had killed thousands. What is known by the Northern Kingdom is that the South's ignorance could lead to a war greater than any seen on Old Westeros, a massive clash of religions with hundreds of thousands of lives in the balance.
Meanwhile to the west of Westeros, the Iron Islands survived the Doom nigh-unscathed, and have no intention of letting that be known.
Those living in Northern Westeros remembered the ancient tales of the Children, and believed that whatever threat had made such destruction necessary was worth avoiding at any cost. The Northern Kingdom of Westeros were formed, composed of the Vale, the remainder of the Riverlands, and the North, unified under the banner of Lord Randyll Reed, who used his friendship with the Children of the Forest to seize power in the North, providing aid to the Riverlands and Vale to earn their loyalty. BRandon was crowned as the first King of Northern Westeros, and under his guidance the men of the North and the Night's Watch reached out to the Free Folk, expanding the kingdom to the mountains of the Frostfangs, eventually stopping at the barren wastes of the Lands of Always Winter.
South of the cataclysm, the lords of the Reach, Stormlands, Westerlands, and Dorne were left in disarray. Barely aware of the events they had just averted, many in what was now known as Southern Westeros rallied against the Children, driving them into the sea or their graves with steel and fire. With the demise of the heads of House Lannister and Gardener in the Doom, a charismatic young man named Cadwyn Durrandon declared himself King and spearheaded the charge against their enemies. Rallying support from those loyal to him in the Stormlands and those who had fought with him against the Children, King Cadwyn began a conquest of unification in southern Westeros, although he was quickly rivaled by the High Septon, who refused to see a kingdom bound together by subjugation and bloodshed. With the growing support of those faithful to the Seven, the High Septon created the greatest military order the Faith had ever seen, fighting and defeating the armies of King Cadwyn, sacrificing him in an attempt to appease the gods. Now leading the strongest force in southern Westeros unopposed, the Royal Septon unified the remaining lords under the banner of the Seven and formed the Southern Kingdom of Westeros, with Dorne being the last to bow.
Many ravens were sent by both kingdoms to each other and the Iron Islands, but few reached their destinations, and no response ever received from the Iron Islands, who were presumed to be demolished in the aftermath of the sundering. What little is known by the Southern Kingdom is that the North had survived the cataclysm, and forsaken the ways of the Seven to instead worship the very beings that had killed thousands. What is known by the Northern Kingdom is that the South's ignorance could lead to a war greater than any seen on Old Westeros, a massive clash of religions with hundreds of thousands of lives in the balance.
Meanwhile to the west of Westeros, the Iron Islands survived the Doom nigh-unscathed, and have no intention of letting that be known.