Difference between revisions of "Valyria"

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Valyria was once a minor civilization populated by shepherds until the Valyrians discovered [[dragon]]s living in the [[Fourteen Fires]], a ring of volcanoes on the [[Valyrian Peninsula]]. The Valyrians mastered the technique of raising and training the dragons into devastating weapons of war.  
 
Valyria was once a minor civilization populated by shepherds until the Valyrians discovered [[dragon]]s living in the [[Fourteen Fires]], a ring of volcanoes on the [[Valyrian Peninsula]]. The Valyrians mastered the technique of raising and training the dragons into devastating weapons of war.  
  
* '''Rise to Power:''': According to legend, some five thousand years ago, the Freehold of Valyria, were involved in a series of great wars against the Old Empire of [[Ghis]].  With the help of Dragons, Valyria was victorious after five wars annihilated the Ghiscari Empire. The Valyrians evidently razed Old Ghis to the ground and sowed its fields with salt, sulfur, and skulls.  After its conquest of Ghis, Valyria began to subjugated and destroy other smaller nations. It seems no one was able to stand against the power of the dragons.  
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* '''Rise to Power:''' According to legend, some five thousand years ago, the Freehold of Valyria, were involved in a series of great wars against the Old Empire of [[Ghis]].  With the help of Dragons, Valyria was victorious after five wars annihilated the Ghiscari Empire. The Valyrians evidently razed Old Ghis to the ground and sowed its fields with salt, sulfur, and skulls.  After its conquest of Ghis, Valyria began to subjugated and destroy other smaller nations. It seems no one was able to stand against the power of the dragons.  
  
 
* '''War against the Rhoyne''', When the Valyrians turned their eyes to the ancient and high civilization of the [[Rhoynar]], Prince Garin the Great led an army of a quarter of a million men against Valyria... and it seemed their defeat was disastrous. When Nymeria fled to Dorne, the singers say her ten thousand ships were filled with women and children, suggesting all (or most) of the men of fighting age had died in the conflict with Valyria. Valyrian Freehold continued to expand and conquer, Valyria took many slaves from its conquered lands and used them to mine great wealth from the Fourteen Flames, building great cities and roadways that all led to Valyria. Cities built by the Valyrian Freehold include [[Oros]], [[Mantarys]], [[Tyria]]and all of the [[Free Cities]] except [[Braavos]].{{Ref|aFfC|33}}At the height of its power, the Freehold stretched over most of the eastern continent. Of the fabled great cities, the topless towers are remembered for their great beauty.{{Ref|aGoT|34}}
 
* '''War against the Rhoyne''', When the Valyrians turned their eyes to the ancient and high civilization of the [[Rhoynar]], Prince Garin the Great led an army of a quarter of a million men against Valyria... and it seemed their defeat was disastrous. When Nymeria fled to Dorne, the singers say her ten thousand ships were filled with women and children, suggesting all (or most) of the men of fighting age had died in the conflict with Valyria. Valyrian Freehold continued to expand and conquer, Valyria took many slaves from its conquered lands and used them to mine great wealth from the Fourteen Flames, building great cities and roadways that all led to Valyria. Cities built by the Valyrian Freehold include [[Oros]], [[Mantarys]], [[Tyria]]and all of the [[Free Cities]] except [[Braavos]].{{Ref|aFfC|33}}At the height of its power, the Freehold stretched over most of the eastern continent. Of the fabled great cities, the topless towers are remembered for their great beauty.{{Ref|aGoT|34}}

Revision as of 05:40, 28 November 2011

1: Ruined city 2: Lands of the Long Summer 3: Smoking Sea 4: Oros 5: Ruined city 6: Tyria 7: Ruined city 8: Ruined city 9: Summer Sea

Valyria is a long-dead city of wonderment, and was once the capital of a great empire called the Valyrian Freehold spanning much of the continent of Essos, but has since fallen to ruin. At its prime, it encompassed most of the eastern continent and reached as far as the current Free Cities and the island of Dragonstone off the coast of Westeros. The Valyrian Freehold was an advanced civilization and the dominant military and cultural power of the known world. The city was located on a peninsula of the eastern continent.[1]. It is the ancestral home of House Targaryen.[2]

History

Valyria was once a minor civilization populated by shepherds until the Valyrians discovered dragons living in the Fourteen Fires, a ring of volcanoes on the Valyrian Peninsula. The Valyrians mastered the technique of raising and training the dragons into devastating weapons of war.

  • Rise to Power: According to legend, some five thousand years ago, the Freehold of Valyria, were involved in a series of great wars against the Old Empire of Ghis. With the help of Dragons, Valyria was victorious after five wars annihilated the Ghiscari Empire. The Valyrians evidently razed Old Ghis to the ground and sowed its fields with salt, sulfur, and skulls. After its conquest of Ghis, Valyria began to subjugated and destroy other smaller nations. It seems no one was able to stand against the power of the dragons.
  • War against the Rhoyne, When the Valyrians turned their eyes to the ancient and high civilization of the Rhoynar, Prince Garin the Great led an army of a quarter of a million men against Valyria... and it seemed their defeat was disastrous. When Nymeria fled to Dorne, the singers say her ten thousand ships were filled with women and children, suggesting all (or most) of the men of fighting age had died in the conflict with Valyria. Valyrian Freehold continued to expand and conquer, Valyria took many slaves from its conquered lands and used them to mine great wealth from the Fourteen Flames, building great cities and roadways that all led to Valyria. Cities built by the Valyrian Freehold include Oros, Mantarys, Tyriaand all of the Free Cities except Braavos.[3]At the height of its power, the Freehold stretched over most of the eastern continent. Of the fabled great cities, the topless towers are remembered for their great beauty.[4]
  • The Doom of Valyria, Valyria was utterly destroyed, in a cataclysmic event known as the Doom of Valyria approximately one hundred years before Aegon's Landing and the Freehold was no more. The Doom fragmented the land surrounding the city itself into numerous smaller islands, creating the Smoking Sea between them.[5]The area is now described as "demon-haunted", and most people are afraid to go there, as it is said, "The Doom still rules in Valyria."[6]

Legacy

The Valyrian Free Cities survived the Doom and became independent nations, continuing to speak a dialect of Valyrian. House Targaryen and the bannermen they brought with them to Dragonstone also survived. The Targaryens used their three remaining dragons to conquer Westeros, ruling the Seven Kingdoms and continuing some of their Valyrian customs, such as incestuous marriage. Weapons made of Valyrian steel, a magical alloy invented by the Valyrians, are highly valued, but the secrets of its creation were lost in the Doom, along with most of Valyria's culture.[7]

The city of Valyria

The city of Valyria lies at the centre of the largest surviving island, surrounded by cliffs where the island has broken away from the mainland. Valyria is said to still hold many treasures from before the Doom, such as Valyrian steel blades and items of magical power. Some years ago Gerion Lannister journeyed to Valyria to try to recover the Lannister Valyrian steel sword, Brightroar, but did not return and was presumed lost at sea. More recently, Euron Greyjoy has returned from a journey to Valyria to claim the throne of the Iron Islands.

References and Notes

This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at Across the narrow sea. The list of authors can be seen in the page history of Across the narrow sea. As with A Wiki of Ice and Fire, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.