Planetos, a planet in another universe filled with different gods, mystical beings, magic, dragons and Dire wolves. Much of it is still unexplored and unseen but mainly 4 continents have been discovered, Westeros, the continent in west, Essos, the continent in east, Sothoryos, the continent in south and Ulthos, the continent east of Sothoryos. It also has a peculiar cycle of seasons in which a season can last for years. Sothoryos is still largely unexplored with only ruined cities and forests as far as it is explored. Its native people are called brindled men. Not much is known about it. Ulthos is a large landmass that is almost completely unexplored and not much is known about it.
Now the biggest continent till now, Essos, a continent full of city states, known as Free Cities, mainly Bravos, Pentos, Myr, Tyros, Lys, Volantis, Qaarth, Qohor, Norvos, Sarnor, Kingdom of Ibb, Empire of Yi Ti, Great Grass Sea, Slave cities like Astrapor, Myreen, Yunkai and New Ghis and dark and sorcerer cities like Asshai. Most of it was once ruled by an empire once that was the pioneer of magic and development known as Valyrian Freehold. It started from the Valyrian Peninsula that was once inhabited by sheep herders until one day some of them discovered dragons in the caves near the volcanoes of the peninsula.
They used blood magic to bind these dragons and the offspring of dragons with their bloodline. Using dragons and magic they developed the peninsula and built the Freehold, ruled by 40 dragon riding families. Later they started conquering and building more city outside the peninsula. Their first target was the Ghiscari Empire, an empire based on slavery and ruled by slavers. They conquered and burned many of its cities leaving only 4 cities intact. But in this they took the practice of slavery as well.
Then they advanced on Qaarthi who easily surrendered, then Sarnori who also accepted them as their overlords. They also established many of the previously mentioned cities. Anyone who stood against them will have their cities and towns burnt and their people turned into slaves. Fearing this fate Andals, the people living in the mountainous terrain in the north-western Essos, who neither wanted to bow nor to become slaves migrated to Westeros and developed a great fear against slavery. In their lands using the remaining population the valyrians built the city state of Pentos. They also helped all these cities in countering the threat that was Dothraki. A savage people whose whole religion was based on horses and raiding.
One day a few ships carrying slaves toward Valyria was hijacked by the same slaves and guided by the Moonsingers of Jogos Nhai migrated north of Pentos. A land covered by fog and lagoons and many small islands. There they built the city of Bravos over hundreds of years after liberating many ships carrying slaves. But scared of the dragons they stayed in hiding for a little more than a century and even after that kept the location of the city a secret for another 2 centuries, during the time they remained hidden, they traded by impersonating as merchants from one city state or another. After the uncloaking they paid remuneration to those who lost men and ships but refused to pay for the slaves who escaped.
Everything was going well in Essos until 5 millennia into their rule the Valyrians got into conflict with another more ancient and equally magically powerful civilization, Rhoynar. It started when a dragon rider burnt a town of the rhoynar and in retaliation rhoynar using their water magic drowned the small city. This started the conflict between the Rhoynar and the Valyrians known as the Spice War. It started a series of conflict in which eventually the Rhoynar lost after felling hundreds of dragons. Many rhoynars were enslaved and many using the contingency plan fled to different location like basilisk isle, summer isle and Dorne in Westeros. There cities were turned into ruins.
But this supremacy of Valyrians didn't last long. They in their hubris, tried to bend magic to their will so much that one day the magic sustaining the Valyria snapped and brought what is known as the Doom. It started when one day the 14 volcanoes started spewing a lot of smoke and then erupted at the same time. Whole peninsula was covered in magma and ash. Many dragon riders tried to escape by flying on dragons, but the volcanoes were spewing poisonous fumes that killed the dragons, not a single soul that was on the peninsula survived the doom.
Only 2 dragon riders survived the doom, first was a Dragon rider Aurion who was at Qohor at that time. But he in his hubris gathered a small army and went to Valyria in hopes of becoming the new emperor of the Valyrian Empire. He went back to the peninsula on his dragon but never returned and died there.
The second was the Targaryen family, one of the 40 dragon riding family of Valyria who survived because a family member of their known as the Daenys the Dreamer, saw in a prophetic dream, known as dragon dream, the doom and tried to warn the Freehold but they didn't listen to them in their hubris, atleast that is what the Targaryen's claimed.
And so came the room in which all 38 dragon riding families died out along with all the people in the peninsula, only Targaryen along with their 2 vassal houses, the Velaryon and Celtigars survived the doom. Targaryen also brought whatever skilled people of Valyria they had under their rule. As for the second house we will talk about it in later.
The doom left the Essos who has been ruled by the Valyrians for millennia leaderless and started what is known as the century of Blood. Volantis, the first city state established by Valyrians announced itself the heir of Valyria and started war with all the neighbouring cities. This sudden move helped them in conquering the neighbouring towns and small cities of Volon Therys, Valysar and the lands of rhoynish cities of Selhorys and Sar Mell but they wanted the whole Essos under them.
They set their eyes on the city states of Myr, Tyrosh and Lys who decided to form an alliance called the Triarch but were still on the losing front so they called for alliance from Pentos but still Volantis might was too much. At the most critical time when they were about to lose the war with Volantis the city state of Braavos revealed itself and came to help the Triarch and defeated the navy of Volantis and proved its might in the seas.
When the news of the fall of Valyria spread the Dothraki ride out from their grasslands and their only city Vaes Dothraki in 100 of thousands and fell upon the cities of Sarnor and Qaarthi. Over the years many Khals rise and fall and they killed, enslaved, raped and looted all the cities and left the cities to ruin. They were only stopped when they marched towards Qohor who receiving the news prepared tall walls hired 2 sellsword companies and were able to buy three thousand Unsullied soldiers for the cities defense from Astrapor.
When the Dothraki arrived 20 thousand strong the 2 sellsword companies fleed but the Unsullied remained standing at their place ready, without an ounce of fear in them. 18 times the Dothraki charged and 18 times they were repelled. In this Unsullied were also able to kill Khal Temmo, the leader of the Khalasar. The remaining Dothraki cut their braids as a sign of accepting defeat and returned to their lands. And soon the Century of Blood came to an end.