Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire: History of Westeros-Part 3: The Andal Invasion

Time for another invasion. Around -6,000 AL, a new religion was formed on the continent of Essos. In the Hills of Andalos, the Faith of the Seven developed and became the major religion. The supreme deity supposedly appeared to the Andals and guided them on a very important mission. This mission was the invasion of Westeros.

The Hills of Andalos are located just south of what is now the free city of Pentos, so when they crossed the Narrow Sea, the Andals landed on what would become the Vale of Arryn. The came with weapons of steel and armor of steel, with the seven pointed star representing the Faith of the Seven carved into their chests. They came across the Narrow Sea in waves and spread over all of Westeros. The Andals fought the children of the forest and the First Men for centuries.

Eventually, the power of the Andals became too much for the Men and children and the six southern kingdoms fell to them. The weirwoods were burned, any children of the forest that were found were killed, and the Andals established the Faith of the Seven as the new religion. The only kingdom that was able to hold off the Andals was the North. Moat Cailin was able to hold off several attacks, so the North was left alone. Later on, the new Andal kings joined forces and marched into the North, destroying House Mudd on the way. The Mudds were the last group of First Men to rule in a southern kingdom and with their destruction, the line of Kings of River and Hill was extinguished. The attacks on the North were beat back by crannogmen in the Neck and armies at Moat Cailin, so the Andals eventually relented and allowed the North to remain an independent kingdom, although Andal blood eventually made its way to the North.

Meanwhile in Essos…

About a thousand years after the Andal invasion, a little group of sheepherders from the Valyrian Peninsula made an amazing discovery. These herders travelled to a huge chain of volcanoes called the Fourteen Fires and found dragons making their lairs inside. The dragons were tamed using magic, giving the Valyrians power of the area and the ability to establish the Valyrian Freehold. It’s capital was Valyria: a city where dragons flew across open skies, where huge beautiful towers could be seen at every turn, where the sharpest swords in the world were made, where large sphinxes looked down upon the city.

At the same time as the Valyrians established themselves, the Ghiscari empire unestablished itself. Five great wars happened between the Ghiscari and the freeholds during this time. The Valyrians won these wars with the help of dragons and completely destroyed the Ghiscari capita at the end of the final war. The buildings were burned, the citizens slaughtered, the fields salted and sulphured, the walls and streets burned with dragon fire. With the fall of the Ghiscari empire, the Valyrian Freehold expanded its influence over the area of Slaver’s Bay.

Back to Westeros…

Two thousand years after their initial invasion, the Andals finally were able to take down the Iron Islands. The first line of kings there was established by Urron “Redhand” Greyiron. He was the first one to make the throne hereditary, as it had been decided by a kingsmoot previously. Urron Redhand’s line ran uncontested until the Andal invasion, in which it finally fell. Unlike the other kingdoms, the Iron Islands assimilated with the Andals, who adopted the Old Way and the worship of the Drowned God.

The Andal invasion had many major consequences. House Mudd and House Greyiron were destroyed. The realm was split into the kingdom of the North and six southern kingdoms: the Kingdom of Vale and Sky, the Kingdom of the Rock, the Kingdom of the Reach, the Kingdom of the River, the Kingdom of the Stormlands, and the Kingdom of the Iron Islands. Dorne was left as a group of states with a lot of in-fighting. The most prominent consequence of the Andal invasion was the departure of the children of the forest. To avoid any more slaughter, the children retreated to the deep forests of the North and Beyond the Wall. This was effectively the end of any children’s inhabitance of Westeros, allowing them to become a legendary tale old to children.

Even with all these troubles, the Andals did bring some good. They introduced writing, whereas the First Men kept records on rune stones. They introduced the Faith of the Seven as the major religion, other than the old gods in the North and the Drowned God in the Iron Islands. The introduced weapons of iron and steel, the use of horses in combat, and the concept of chivalry.

Madden NFL 25: A Review

So last week, EA Sports released their special anniversary edition of Madden known as "Madden NFL 25"--or, chronologically speaking Madden 14. I purchased this game--the special edition that comes with a log-in code for Direct TV's NFL Sunday Ticket--and have been playing it over the course of the last few days. My overall impression of the game so far is that what it lacks in creativity it makes up for in presentation.

Visuals

Let's start with the main positive with this game: it is very visually appealing. The main screen and even sub-screens feel like something out of a smart phone. Rather than the bulletted lists of the past, EA Sports has gone with windows for mode selection, settings, etc. If you want to know what that looks like:

The next major upgrade is to the graphics, which isn't surprising for this last round of gen-3 games leading up to generation four. The game's graphics look like an obvious tune-up for the first edition being released on PS4 and XBox One (which I imagine will happen next August unless EA gets gutsy and wants to do a special release). Here is the game's rendering of the outside of Ford Field in Detroit:

Personally, I think the players and on-field presentation look pretty much the same as they did on Madden 13, and that's likely to be the case until EA uses the new graphics engines that will be available on next-gen consoles.

Overall grade: A- (would have liked to see more of an improvement on the field)

Game Play

One thing that has really changed about this edition of Madden is the new audible system, which essentially lets you turn any play selection into an entirely different play--assuming you are quick enough at making decisions to do so before the play clock expires. Personally I do not pay much attention to this. It's not like the computer knows my play tendencies or anything.

The game's biggest accomplishment in game play is still the revamped physics engine. The number of cartoonish, physically-impossible collisions is way down from games in the past (even Madden 13). Tackles are generally smooth, guys do eventually go down in weird ways--which will result in injuries some of the time--and the ball typically takes realistic bounces. There is one part of this that is a bit nonsensical though, and it's the problem with the game as a whole:

The physics engine is impossibly biased towards offensive players. Offensive cuts, jukes, spins, and trucks are nearly unstoppable--both for the human and the computer. As an example, I give you something from my first game:

I am playing as the Vikings against the Bills--yay random team selecting!--and call for a halfback dive play. I give the ball to Peterson and push forward. Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus--who is 320 pounds and one of the best linemen in the league--comes off his block to meet Adrian. I press the truck stick and run Dareus over. I did not break a tackle, I did not slip out of his grip...I straight up ran his ass over, and it was one of the most unrealistic, nonsensical things I have seen out of a Madden game.

Now back to the "problem with the game as a whole" part. If you can make semi-quick decisions and have decent hand-eye coordination, you should score on the vast majority of drives--even on All-Madden difficulty. For whatever reason, receivers in the game are unbelievable at creating separation in the middle of the field. Ins, slants, and curls cannot be stopped. If you are ever unable to run people over with guys like Peterson--which you should be able to do most of the time--then you can get 10 yards whenever you feel like it through the air.

Last note: it looks like they finally fixed punts--so that means you can actually return them with regularity instead of facing two guys when you catch the ball--and kick returns are really fun with the over-powered jukes, cuts, and spins.

Gameplay: C (sorry, I like defense)

Miscellaneous

As far as I'm concerned, those are the only two things that really matter in Madden games--the visuals and game play. They have more songs added to the stadium sound tracks--so you hear songs like "Thunderstruck" from AC/DC and "Song 2" from Blur--but other than that, there just isn't much else that matters outside of one thing:

EA came to its senses and brought back franchise mode in full. Their worst mistake ever was tinkering with the aspect of the game in Madden 13, but full fantasy draft franchise mode--offline and online--is back. A++ move on the part of EA Sports. Now, I'm going to spend a bit of time giving my advice on how to build a team for said franchise mode in Madden 25.

Building Your Team

Step one: forget your defense. I can't really remember a version of Madden where the actual players you had in Madden actually mattered. The schemes have always seemed 100 times more important than the players involved, so I would place the focus on offense except for ONE THING:

Whoever you play as on defense on a play--for example, I play as the right defensive tackle--is someone I would draft in the top five rounds (I actually went on to take Dareus in the 2nd in my own fantasy draft). Chances are you'll be the one making plays on defense and not the computer, so get someone who is good.

Alright, now to offense. Much like with defense, there are certain things that always appear to be largely universal in Madden--aka, skills that every player is seemingly the same at under the computer's control. To me, these skills are:

1) Passing accuracy--Vince Young and Drew Brees? Same net effect

2) Offensive line blocking--never in any version of Madden has this ever seemed to matter.

3) Agility-the jukes, cuts, and spins seem to be equally effective with everyone.

4) Ball carrying- fumbles seem to actually be pretty frequent with everyone. I played a game against Law Firm and made him fumble three times.

  

Now for the skills that absolutely matter:

1) Speed-maybe it's just how I play, but speed is huge in Madden. Get speed at every single position.

2) Arm strength-remember what I said about accuracy? The opposite is true for arm strength. Big-armed QB's dominate this game, especially on throws towards the sidelines.

3) Pass catching-any slight hit seems to jar the ball loose on catch attempts--the one defensive advantage. This has seemed to matter.

Position rankings!

Okay, now that those little tidbits are there for you, this is the relative importance I place on each position in Madden (note, this is not going to be ANYTHING like the NFL):

1) Running back--the cream of the crop, the center of any good offense in Madden. So hard to get guys with good speed at this position who can break tackles. Peterson is the #1 guy for Madden fantasy drafts.

2) Quarterback

3) Wide receiver

4) Defensive tackle (or your own personal primary defensive player)

5) Tight end--get a good pass-catcher here and you will be very good in the passing game. I recommend Jason Witten

6) Corner back--I recommend playing lots of pressing man in this version of Madden

7) Safeties--either one, really. Strong safeties will blitz more and help more in run support, so I would pick up a free safety first.

8) Kick Returner--just get a couple guys with a 99 speed rating to run your kicks back.

9) Kicker--no I am not kidding. Leg strength is how you make field goals in Madden. If you're playing on a difficult level and plan on playing competitive games, get a kicker with a strong leg.

10) Everything else. I've found defensive ends, linebackers, and interior linemen are generally all interchangeable. Same goes for punters, really.

Lasting Thought

If you're wondering about online play or Ultimate Team, find another blog to read. I like building franchises and doing lengthy franchise modes when I play Madden. Overall, I think this game is pretty middle of the road in terms of Madden. Then again, it really wasn't hard to improve significantly over the crap fest that was Madden 13--yes, I'm still bitter about the lack of a fantasy draft in offline franchise mode. The graphics have improved, the physics engine has been cleaned up, and games feel much more realistic--in game play, sound, etc. Heck, the game is even as biased towards offense as the modern NFL happens to be.

Overall Grade: B- (unless you include the fact that the special edition gets you Sunday Ticket for an additional 40 dollars, in which case this game becomes an A+++++++ buy)

Elysium Review: Blomkamp Two-for-Two

Matt Damon said in an interview that he was most proud of this film because he got to star in a major

blockbuster that was not a sequel, or a franchise - that the team just made a good movie. He was absolutely right. Neil Blomkamp's second major motion picture gives the feel of a Hollywood sci-fi blockbuster, but retains the craft and immersiveness of a real piece of art from the South African director.

It is 2154 and the human population is divided in a thinly-veiled reference to today's economic inequality. We are faced with similar problems, like overpopulation, undernourishment, and lack of healthcare. The wealthy have left earth for a halo-like installation called Elysium (a heavenlike place in Greek mythology), where they are provided with an essentially perfect lifestyle.

Jodi Foster is tasked with the defense of this installation (basically keeping Earth rifraff out), and does not hesitate to overstep her mandate and use extreme force to do so. Matt Damon, meanwhile, is a former career criminal who, caught in an industrial accident, has days to live. As a last resort, he calls on his former connections to get him to Elysium and use their magical health machines.

Plot: 4/5 - It wasn't nearly as groundbreaking a story as Blomkamp's first effort, District 9 (which was basically a perfect film), and it is even a bit predictable at times, but the story is still fascinating, and Blomkamp is a very game storyteller. If one thing stands out from his films, it is his ability to create a universe. Plot is a big part of this, and the movie does a fantastic job of it.

Writing: 3/5 - This was definitely the movie's weakest part. The dialogue was fine, but it was not creative, there were few moments of comedy, and only a couple of times where tension is really in play either. The story is a tragedy, and Blomkamp relies on story and imagery to convey these emotions more than his writing.

Acting: 4/5 - I am continually impressed by Sharlto Copley. He deserved award buzz for his starring role in District 9, and I thought he stole the show as Murdoch in the A-Team. He plays a despicable mercenary in Elysium, a hitman for Jodi Foster and the Elysian government, and while it is easy to hate a character when rape and killing are written into his story, it is the absolute glee that Copley takes in his actions that make Kruger (the character) absolutely loathsome. Matt Damon and Jodi Foster are fine, too.

Aesthetics: 5/5 - This is where Blomkamp shines. His ability to use creative, powerful shots, strong sound editing, and an impressive score are his key tools in the aforementioned universe-building. It is amazing that with so little preamble we are able to so fully understand and appreciate everybody's situation, and it is through the look and feel of the movie that we are so completely immersed.

Final Score: 80%

A Monthly Dose of Westeros: Part 4-Stannis Baratheon, Davos & Melisandre

I guess it’s not-so-monthly now...but still, I will be providing my thoughts and predictions for one storyline every month until the show’s return. Since I have read the books, I know what should happen, but several plots seem to be taking turns away from the original material, while others are almost spot on. I will examine these apparent changes/accuracy, and do my best to avoid spoilers in “A Monthly Dose of Westeros”.

Renly Baratheon is dead. Robb Stark is dead. Balon Greyjoy is an afterthought. Everybody hates Joffrey. So who left to root for but Stannis Baratheon? Well, there’s always the Mother of Dragons (ha) but Stannis is the only option not located on the other side of the world.

That being said, I am not rooting for Stannis. While he has a better claim than Joffrey, Stannis would probably end up being a worse king. He trusts his red priest Melisandre more than anybody else and let himself become a follower of the Lord of Light. He locked his wife and daughter away in a tower. He imprisoned his most loyal follower, Davos Seaworth, because he saw Melisandre for what she truly was. He lost the Battle of the Blackwater. He produced a shadow monster to kill his brother Renly. He inspires no trust or loyalty. Stannis is NOT the king Westeros needs.

That being said, Stannis is no idiot. He got very lucky that Davos learned to read, because without it he would not have learned that the Night’s Watch is asking for help. Since the amount of support he has is terribly low, Stannis knows the best way to gather more is to help at the Wall and battle the wildlings. Davos is the POV character for Stannis’ story in the books and Davos is out of chapters at this point. The group does appear later in the book, obviously, since they’re travelling to the Wall, but they will be out of screen time at this point.

Stannis and Melisandre’s story has basically gone exactly the same as in the books and Melisandre is still a minor character at this point, so there is not much to say about her. Davos, meanwhile, has had a decent change to his story. In the books, Gendry remains with the Brotherhood without Banners and does NOT travel to Dragonstone with Melisandre. Instead, a boy named Edric Storm is brought to Dragonstone and used in exactly the same way as Gendry. In the show, Gendry is basically a prisoner until Davos puts him in a boat and tells him to return to where he came from. But Edric Storm is Stannis’ “guest”. His daughter is told about Edric and the two form a cousinly relationship, to the point where Shireen does not want Davos to free Edric. The two learn together and play together, while Gendry never met Shireen.

My predictions for Stannis’ storyline is basically that the writers will make some stuff up. Davos is out of chapters and Stannis doesn’t appear until close to the end of the book, so I believe the writers will put Stannis’ voyage onscreen and include a stop to do a very important thing that we don’t see in this book. In my opinion, Stannis’ return in the book will occur in the show’s ninth episode, so we will see a lot of made up stuff for the group this season, until they become a central part of another storyline in the next season. Davos and Melisandre will travel North with Stannis but they shouldn't really have much to do in this season either. The end of this season will probably begin using material from A Feast for Crows, so we could so some important stuff later on.

Come on Down to South Park

All words and sentences in this blog--even those used to form a post about a popular animated show--are entirely fictional. All words are brought together....poorly. The following post contains coarse language and due to its content it should not be view by anyone.

*banjo plays*

If you've grazed late-night television any time in the past 17 years, you've probably come across a warning message not too dissimilar from the one above. It is the advisory warning for Comedy Central's "South Park" which is brought to us by the great minds of Trey Parker and Matt Stone. It is then followed by everyone's favorite banjo tune:

Now, I could sit here and talk about the creation of the show and whatnot, but I won't do that to you. Watching the clips below will tell you all you need to know: this is a show that uses the assumed "innocence" of eight-year-old (and later older) children to induce hilarity. For Pete's sake, the first episode is called "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe."

There is one thing about South Park that is really, really funny: the show was pitched to FOX and they turned it down (just like they ruined Futurama and got Arrested Development cancelled). FOX may have hit with The Simpsons and Family Guy, but I don't know too many people who still view those shows as being incredible. Meanwhile, season 15 of South Park may have been the show's best season, and the show was recently extended through Season 20.

Anyway, that's enough back story. Let's get into some lists!

Best Characters

1. Eric Cartman

In the world of comedy, it doesn't really ever get better than Cartman. You can try all you want, but the gold standard of animated comedy is the one often known as "Fat Ass". Whether he's poking fun at Kyle for being a no-good, dirty Jew or being incredibly ignorant about a variety of political topics, it is rare for Cartman to produce words/actions/moments that are not funny. I'll leave you with this:

2. Butters Stotch

It might be that his character just plays extremely well off of Cartman, but I've always viewed Butters as the second best character on the show. He's always put in the most ridiculous situations, and he is certainly the most naive/innocent of the bunch. 

3. Randy Marsh

Randy's character really developed late into the show. Early on, the show utilized Chef, Jimbo, and Garrison as the main adult characters. However, since the middle seasons Randy has carried the group of adults on the show. The primary reason for this is that his character (and most adults on the show) are presented as dumber than the kids are. 

Individual Moments of Glory

No rankings here, just some of the best moments on the show:

No More Baseball! http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/154917/no-more-baseball#searchterm=baseball

Full Fledge http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/153856/full-fledge-retard#searchterm=flashback

The Royal Wedding http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/385746/the-royal-wedding#searchterm=royal%20wedding

Drugs Are Bad http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/150415/drugs-are-bad-again#searchterm=drugs%20are%20bad

The Llama Brothers http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/189022/the-llama-brothers#searchterm=interrogation

They're Going to Blow up the Barrier! http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/163664/theyre-going-to-blow-up-the-barrier#searchterm=imagination%20land

Go and Hug a Tree: http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/254168/go-and-hug-a-tree#searchterm=poker%20face

And my personal favorite:

Asian Diversity Day: http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/387864/asian-diversity#searchterm=city%20sushi

Favorite Episodes

1. City Sushi

Asian Diversity Day pretty much carries the episode on its own, but this whole episode is hilarious. It is a Butters-centric episode that also focuses on the owner of "City Wok". If you like really racist Asian accents and Butters' imagination being treated as multiple personality disorder, you should check this out.

2. Rainforest Shmainforest

This episode and "tsst" are probably Cartman's two best episodes as a character. In this, the boys are forced to join the musical group "Getting Gay With Kids" as they explore the wonders of the rain forest. Jennifer Anniston guest stars, and Cartman gives us a lesson in tough love.

3. Goobacks

Just for the funniest line in the entirety of the series: "This is even gayer than all of the men getting in a big pile and having sex with each other" (in reference to volunteer work that will make the world a better place). Also, "They tookederjobs!"

4. Tsst

The dog whisperer teaches Ms. Cartman how to handle her son. "Give me some chicken!"

5. The Losing Edge

I'm a baseball guy, so the episode with the running joke that baseball season is long, boring, and kids want to do other stuff is really funny to me. "Yay, no more baseball!"

Conclusion

This wasn't so much a blog post as it was me sharing my favorite South Park things, but that's what this blog is for! Now I just have one last statement to make:

I broke the dam.

Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire: History of Westeros-Part 2: The Age of Heroes

The next era of Westerosi history I will be discussing is the Age of Heroes. This era gets it name due to the great amount of influential people who lived during it and the many accomplishments that were made during the years. The Age of Heroes began around -10,000 AL, when the children of the forest and the First Men signed the Pact. The Pact created 4000 years of peace and friendship between the two species, during which the Men adopted many customs and the culture of the children, including the worship of their gods (except for the worshippers of the Drowned God).

Many of the great houses of Westeros have their ancestral roots in the Age of Heroes. Brandon Stark lived during this time and is the supposed founder of House Stark. Brandon was very well known as Bran the Builder because during this era he built Winterfell and the Wall, as well as many other large structures, most notably Storm’s End. The Northmen today still have the blood of the First Men in them and uphold many of their traditions, such as the laws of hospitality and the need for the judge to also be the executioner. The barrows of the First Men can still be found around the North, including Bran the Builder’s. Bran is also credited with giving the Gift to the Night’s Watch, although the Maesters believe it was a different Brandon Stark.

Lann the Clever

Lann the Clever also lived during this time and is the founder of House Lannister. Lann is popular in songs and stories, most notably the story of how he brightened his hair by stealing gold from the sun and how he swindled Casterly Rock from the Casterlys using only his wits. It is said the Rock has never fallen, because Lann tricked the family out of the castle and claimed it as his own, while the Casterlys were wiped out and no longer exist.

Garth Greenhand was another legendary hero, as he was the first of the First Men to go to and rule in the Reach. His true name is Gardener, but he is called Greenhand because he wore a crown of vines and flowers and caused the land in the Reach to bloom. Many notable houses in the Reach can trace their roots back to Garth, including the Tyrells and Florents.

Storm's End

Durran Godsgrief was the first Storm King and the man who created Storm’s End. He was the founder of House Durrendon and his nickname comes from the legend of his love for Elenei. It is said that Elenei was the goddess of the wind and the daughter of the sea god and Durran won her love. Her parents forbade the romance, yet the couple wed anyway. During the wedding, the gods destroyed Durran’s castle and killed all of his family and guests. Durran continued to build castles to fight the gods and the gods destroyed each one. The castles kept getting stronger until finally, the seventh castle held and survived the storms off of Shipwrecker Bay. This castle held potentially due to the influence the children of the forest on the building or because a young man who grew to be Brandon Stark advised the building.

The Grey King of the Iron Islands is claimed as the founder of House Greyjoy. The Grey King fought Nagga, a sea dragon, and won with help from the Drowned God. He made his hall from her bones and heated it with her life fire. He reigned for a thousand years, married a mermaid, and went to war with the Storm God. His crown was made from Nagga’s teeth and his robes from seaweed. When the Grey King died, the Storm God put out Nagga’s fire and allowed the sea to wash away the King’s throne.

One of the most legendary knights, Symeon Star-Eyes, lived during this time. He lost both of his eyes and replaced them with sapphires. His weapon of choice was a staff with blades on both ends so he could kill two men at once by spinning it.

The Age of Heroes was filled with legendary figures, but while the peace and prosperity came to a sudden end around -8000 AL. A great winter fell upon Westeros around this time, a winter that lasted a generation and destroyed much of the land, causing famines and acts of terror. A darkness fell over the realm during this winter, causing it to be called The Long Night in legends. During this Long Night, demons from the Land of Always Winter traveled south, raising the dead bodies they found along the way to fight for them. The Long Night was the official arrival of the Others, the White Walkers, the demons from beyond the Wall. Despite their past differences, the children of the forest and the First Men created an alliance against this terrible threat and fought well for a group of mortals fighting dead men in the War for the Dawn. The Others pushed the Men and children south, but were able to make a push of their own when they discovered that weapons made from dragonglass (obsidian) were able to kill Others. The Men and children were led by a great hero, Azor Ahai, who wielded his flaming sword Lightbringer. Azor Ahai drove the Others back to where they came from, ending the war and the Long Night.

Azor Ahai is a prominent figure in Westerosi tales and legends. It is said that he was chosen to fight the Others, but needed to make a hero’s sword first. He worked for thirty days and nights to create the sword, but it broke when it was tempered in water. Azor Ahai then worked for fifty days and nights to create a second sword, but this one also broke when it was tempered, although he tried to temper it by killing a lion this time. The third sword was made in one hundred days and nights and Azor Ahai knew he had to temper it in a very special way. He brought it to his wife, Nissa Nissa, asked her to bare her breast, and drove the sword through her heart, combining her soul with the metal. He called this sword Lightbringer. He was known as the last hero, but a prophecy states that Azor Ahai would be reborn to fight another great threat out of Westeros.

To decrease the chances of another invasion of demons from the North, Bran the Builder raised the Wall with the help of giants, the First Men, and the children of the forest. The Wall is a structure made of ice and magic, stretching one hundred leagues across the land, from the Gorge in the west to the Shivering Sea in the east. The Wall cut the Land of Always Winter off from Westeros. The Night’s Watch was established at the Wall to keep watch over the Wall and make sure no threats pass through to the inhabited lands. The children of the forest provided the Night’s Watch with one hundred dragonglass daggers each year. Bran the Builder supposedly granted them the Gift, a tract of land slightly south of the Wall and nineteen castles stretching along the Wall, seventeen of which were manned during the Night’s Watch’s most powerful stretch. These castles are:

Shadow Tower

• Westwatch-by-the-Bridge
• Shadow Tower (still manned today)
• Sentinel Stand
• Greyguard
• Stonedoor
• Hoarfrost Hill
• Icemark
• Nightfort
• Deep Lake

• 

  Eastwatch

  Queensgate
• Castle Black (most prominent, still manned today)
• Oakenshield
• Woodswatch-by-the-Pool
• Sable Hall
• Rimegate
• Long Barrow
• Torches
• Greenguard
• Eastwatch-by-the-Sea (still manned today)

The final act of the Age of Heroes was the attack by the Night’s King. The thirteenth Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch was a fearless, strong fighter. He guarded the Wall bravely, until he fell in love a woman who’s description matched that of the Others. It is said that when he gave her his seed, he also gave her his soul. The Lord Commander brought the woman back to the Nightfort and married her, breaking his vow to the Night’s Watch, which stated he would take no women and hold no lands. Upon his return to the Nightfort, the Lord Commander named himself the Night King and the woman his queen and ruled the Nightfort as his own castle for thirteen horrific years. The reign of the Night King brought many atrocities and terrible legends. It was only ended when the King in the North (who was his brother) and the King Beyond the Wall, Joramun (a wildling leader) joined forces to bring him down and free the Night’s Watch. The wildlings had been beginning their raids on the Wall at this time, but they knew they had a common enemy in the ice woman. The legends say that the Kings discovered that the Night King had been sacrificing men to the Others and all records of him were destroyed. It is now forbidden to even mention his name. The Age of Heroes ended with the destruction of this dangerous king and the forbidding of the Night’s Watch to build walls around their keeps, so they would still be accessible from the south.

Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire: History of Westeros-Part 1: The Dawn Age

Many people love Game of Thrones. Many people love A Song of Ice and Fire. Many love both. But there are those who only watch the show or simply don’t feel compelled to research the history before the events they love reading so much about. The history of George R. R. Martin’s universe is extremely long, but terribly fascinating, so I will break it down into the different ages of the world for those who don’t know anything about it. We’ll start off with the Dawn Age…

*Years in Westeros are relative to Aegon’s Landing (AL standing for After Landing), which is treated as the year 0 and all events prior are simply negative numbers*

A greenseer singing the song of the earth

Westeros has been around for a long time. Men were living on Essos while Westeros was still “uninhabited”. In these times, Westeros was populated by different races of magical creatures, most notably giants and the children of the forest. The childern called themselves "those who sing the song of the earth" in the Old Tongue. No historical records were kept by these races, so they became the stuff of legends told by septons and maids. The children of the forest have since disappeared from Westeros, leading the people to believe they were wiped out by the First Men. Nobody knows where they came from or how they got to Westeros. The children worshipped the gods of forest, stream and stone. They relied on the land in order to live. The children carved faces on the weirwood trees in order to have them watch over the land for the children. They had many magical powers, such as having power over animals in the woods, the ability to warg into other creatures (like what Bran Stark can do), the ability to create beautiful music, and greensight, which is having prophetic dreams.

Around -12,000 AL, the First Men came from Essos to Westeros. They crossed a land bridge from the eastern continent into Dorne, called the Arm of Dorne. They wrote their history on runes and spoke the Old Tongue. They came under the leadership of the First King and were said to have found the Seastone Chair, the throne of the Iron Islands, on the shores of Old Wyk. The First Men were the ones who began calling the children of the forest by this name. The Men came into Westeros riding horses and bearing bronze swords and leather shields and their own religion. In order to create room to build for themselves, the First Men burned and cut down forests, including the weirwood trees. This angered the children of the forest so much that they supposedly used their magic to shatter the Arm of Dorne and turn it into a chain of islands now known as the Stepstones.

The Men were much more technologically advanced and numerous then the children of the forest, putting them at a disadvantage. It is said that wars between the two races went on for around 2,000 years and each act of war brought the Men to cut down a weirwood tree. They believed that the greenseers could see through the carved faces on the trees and the Men wanted to take out any spies that the children could use against them. They were absolutely correct about this and it severely cut off the children’s access to their forests.

The largest battle of these wars was the fight that ruined Moat Cailin. In about -10,000 AL, the First Men raised Moat Cailin, which is now the southern-most Northern settlement. At some point, the

Runes of Moat Cailin

children of the forest took over at least part of the hold, probably the Children’s Tower, if not any others. From the top of this tower, the children called upon their gods to send down a terrible rainstorm (known in myths as the “hammer of waters”) to break Westeros at the neck, forming two separate northern and southern continents. The children failed, however, only calling enough rain to flood the Neck and create many bogs and swamps. This act must have impressed the First Men, who were winning the war at the time, and could have been the reason that peace negotiations began shortly after.

Weirwood trees on the Isle of Faces

The First Men and children of the forest both sent wise leaders to the Isle of Faces to attempt to create a peaceful coexistence. Called The Pact, the leaders agreed that the forests would remain the homes of the children, while the Men could claim the rest of Westeros, under the condition that they not cut down any more weirwood trees. The Isle of faces got its name due to the faces carved on every tree. These were carved in order for the gods to see recognize the pact, as the First Men had chosen to accept the religion of the children and worship the same nameless gods (with the exception of the Drowned God on the Iron Islands). The Green Men were established to remain on the island and look over the carved tree. This treaty ended the Dawn Age and established 4,000 years of friendship between the Men and children.

The Pact