LonCon / Sons of the Dragon v2

[The Dragon Demands]

The chronology-based notes that I put together from other reports made in this thread:

-2 AC - Aegon lands at the mouth of the Blackwater Rush and begins the War of Conquest

1 AC - Aegon completes his conquest and is anointed/accepted by the High Septon in Oldtown.

7 AC - Aenys is born, Aegon's first and ONLY child with Rhaenys (directly stated that Rhaenys had no daughters)

9 AC - Quentyn Qoherys dies. He was Aegon's castellan at Dragonstone and made the new Lord of Harrenhal after Aegon destroyed House Hoare.

10 AC - Rhaenys and Meraxes are killed in a campaign against Dorne. Meraxes took a crossbow bolt to the eye. Orys Baratheon was captured and later returned but the Dornish maimed him by cutting off his sword hand. Soon afterwards, Aenys bonds with the dragon Quicksilver and grows somewhat more confident and stable in health.

11 AC - The High Septon who anointed Aegon dies. Six more High Septons followed before Aegon's death. He tread lightly around them. They never approved of Targaryen incest and polygamy, but did not openly preach against the Targaryens so long as Aegon treated them well (the common septons continued to preach against incest).

12 AC - Maegor is born, whom we know was Aegon's only child with Visenya.

~11 AC-35 AC - While Aegon did intend to build a new capital city at the location of his initial landing at the mouth of the Blackwater (King's Landing), for most of his reign he maintained an itinerant court, traveling about the Seven Kingdoms to enforce his reign. He usually kept Aenys with him, while Maegor remained on Dragonstone with Visenya - and thus became known as "the Prince on Dragonstone". This is the origin of the formal title "Prince of Dragonstone", used for the designated heir to the Iron Throne, given that for many years Maegor was Aenys's heir. Aegon had three known Hands of the King during his reign: Orys Baratheon, Osmund Strong, and Alyn Stokeworth (which would seem to imply that the Strongs were a notable family since at least this date, though they didn't come to rule Harrenhal for many generations - a small retcon it would seem is that the new order of who held Harrenhal was: Qoherys, Harroway, Towers, Strong, Lothston, Whent).

22 AC - Aenys marries Alyssa Velaryon, daughter of the Master of Ships, and a cousin of the main Targaryen line. This was a political move to assure the Faith that the Targaryens wouldn't continue heavily incestuous marriages. But also because Aegon simply had no daughters so there were none to marry.

23 AC - Aenys and Alyssa's first child is born, daughter Rhaena. This pushed Maegor down in the line of succession, because he didn't even have any children. Visenya began to nag Aegon that it would be a good idea to wed the 13 year old Maegor to his infant half-niece Rhaena. The High Septon at the time rejected this as an abomination and suggested his own niece, Ceryse Hightower. Not clear if Aegon opposed a Maegor-Rhaena marriage because Visenya blatantly wanted to advance Maegor, or simply for the pragmatic reason that it would infuriate the High Septon and he wanted to keep good political relations with the Faith.

25 AC - Maegor marries his first wife, Ceryse Hightower (neice of the High Septon). He was 13 and she was 23.

26 AC - Aenys's second child and eldest son, Aegon, is born.

28 AC - After a tournament at Riverrun, Maegor is knighted at age 16, the youngest man ever knighted. He was knighted by his father, using Blackfyre. He assists Alyssa's father Aethon Velaryon with a campaign against a pirate-lord in the Stepstones, Salassor Saan There had been "half a dozen dragon hatchlings" on Dragonstone since the Conquest (including Quicksilver), but Maegor did not claim a dragon, saying none were worthy. Alyssa mocked that he was scared, deepening the rift between them. In hindsight, Maegor was probably holding out for his father's eventual death so he could claim Balerion.

29 AC- Aenys's third child Viserys is born.

34 AC - Aenys's fourth child Jaehaerys is born.

35 AC - During the Conquest, Aegon I's initial army established their main base camp/earth and timber fortification at the mouth of the Blackwater Rush. It subsequently grew into a boomtown, and Aegon always intended to build a grand new capital city there, not dependent on any previous city with past allegiances (such as Oldtown). For about thirty years the town of "Aegonfort" continued to grow, but haphazardly, and it remained a filthy boomtown of hastily constructed wooden buildings and dirt roads. In 35 AC, Aegon I decides that Aegonfort is inadequate and will be razed so they can start over from scratch to build a larger, permanent capital city, King's Landing. Aegon I removes to Dragonstone. He sends Visenya to oversee construction at King's Landing (possibly because after all of her pushing for Maegor, he can't stand her company anymore?). He orders his Hand of the King, Alyn Stokeworth, to assist her in the construction. Unknown why Orys Baratheon was no longer Hand - either he was still imprisoned on Dorne, or more probably, he may have retired after he was sent back because he Dornish cut off his sword-hand during his imprisonment.

36 AC - Aenys's fifth child Alysanne is born.

37 AC - Aegon I dies at Dragonstone. He was in the Chamber of the Painted Table, pointing to the map and telling his two grandsons Aegon and Viserys stories about his conquest. While playing with his grandsons he stuck an orange peel in his mouth and chased them around the Painted Table, pretending to be a monster for their amusement, but then he had a stroke and died. Aenys succeeds him as king. Aenys had been on procession in Highgarden at the time but flew back to Dragonstone; Grand Maester Gawen proclaimed him king. Maegor gives Aegon's eulogy, and Visenya uses Vhagar to light his funeral pyre. Maegor claims the now riderless Balerion. Maegor also claims Blackfyre from the ashes of Aegon's funeral pyre. He apparently presented it to Aenys, but he gave it back to Maegor, acknowledging that he was always much more of a warrior than he ever was (which, unfortunately, made many see Maegor as more worthy of the throne). Aenys makes a procession to proto-King's Landing (where the Iron Throne was) then to Highgarden and Oldtown, to be crowned by the High Septon.

~37 AC - Four major revolts break out upon Aegon I's death by opportunistic local rulers. Harren the Red takes over Harrenhal, Fake-Lodos rises in the Iron Islands, Ronnel Arryn's younger brother Jonos imprisons and kills him in the Vale, and the first Vulture King rises in the Red Mountains.

• While Harren the Red was first, due to Aenys's indecision he was the last they dealt with. Quentyn's grandson Gargon Qoherys was lord of Harrenhal at the time, a cruel lecherous man who frequently practiced First Night - he was sarcastically called "Gargon the Guest" due to how many times he chose to make himself an unwanted "guest" at weddings of the smallfolk. One of the brides he took got revenge on Gargon by opening the gates to Harren the Red, an adventurer-bandit claiming to be a grandson of Harren the Black. Harren the Red took the castle, castrated Gargon, and fed his genitals to dogs. Harren the Red then massacred everyone in Harrenhal, extinguishing House Qoherys (House Harroway later replaced them as the lords of Harrenhal). Harren the Red didn't stay to try to hold the castle, but fled into the surrounding woods. Lord Tully urged Aenys to attack, but he was indecisive. Harren the Red was finally killed much later, last of the four false kings, by Bernard Brune.
• A man claiming to be the priest-king Lodos rose in he Iron Islands, allegedly having returned from visiting his father the Drowned God in his watery halls. Aenys didn't need to take care of the problem himself: Vickon Greyjoy's son Goren Greyjoy put down the rebellion, and sent Fake-Lodos's pickled head in a jar to Aenys as a gift. How Aenys *did* mishandle this is that in return, Aenys promised any gift it was wihin his power to give - so Goren asked to expel all septons and septs from the Iron Islands, and Aenys reluctantly agreed. There wouldn't be a single sept in the isles for another 100 years -- not clear if the Faith of the Seven was even that numerous on the Iron Islands, but at the least, on general principle this soured relations with the Faith and the High Septon, and relations were already strained.
• The first Vulture King rose in the Dornish Marches, angered by previous Targaryen campaigns in the region (this was he frontline of conflicts with Dorne, but the Dornish Marches were allegedly on the Targaryen side of he border now). The Princess of Dorne ("Deriah"?) did not openly support the Vulture King but it is generally thought that she secretly sent some financial support. Lowlife sellswords, cuthroughts, and adventurers flocked to his banner, and his army swelled to over 30,000 men. They took Blackhaven castle, killed all inhabitants, and cut off the nose of Harmon Dondarrion. They then moved west to attack the Reach - their cuthroat army of rogues was so filthy that they could be smelled before they were seen, it is said. But then the Vulture King grew overconfident and split his army into two equal halves, a disastrous decision which allowed them both to be defeated in turn. Orys Baratheon defeated one half but died of his wounds on the march back. His son Davos notes that he seemed content, because he had avenged himself on Walter Wyl, son of the Dornish lord who had cut off his hand when he was captured years before - by cutting off Wyl's hand, then his other hand and feet. The other half of the Vulture King's armies were defeated by an alliance between the new Lord Dondarrion (apparently Harmon was mutilated *and* killed), Lady Caron, and Lord Samwell Tarly, known as "Savage Sam". Tarly led the "Vulture Hunt" as it was called, defeated the army, and took the Vulture King prisoner. He left him tied to a rock in the mountains, where it is said that he was torn apart by vultures as he wasted away (though maesters insist that a man will die of thirst after only a few days so there wasn't enough time for that). Many other "Vulture Kings" would rise up over the years in the Red Mountains, bandit-lords taking their name from the original, some more successful than others. The last major one was during the reign of Daeron II the Good, and thus he is the one that characters during the War of the Five Kings refer to as "The" Vulture King.
• Jonos Arryn declares himself King of the Vale and imprisons his older brother Ronnel in the Eyrie. Aenys sends armies marching to the Vale...but then hesitates and is very indecisive. Before the army actually reaches the Vale (or the Eyrie itself), he orders the army to turn around and head to Harrenhal to deal with Harren the Red....long after it would have done much good at Harrenhal anyway. On its own initiative House Royce besieges Jonos in the Eyrie, who in response throws Ronnel out the Moon Door. Maegor then arrives on Balerion. Jonos's followers abandoned him in fear of the dragon, take him prisoner and hand him over to Maegor in the hope that he will spare their lives in return. Maegor throws Jonos out the Moon Door, but shows no mercy, hanging Jonos's followers anyway. Their cousin Hubert Arryn becomes the new lord of the Vale, along with his Royce wife (perhaps explaining why the Royces opposed Jonos in the first place, though they couldn't have anticipated that he would kill his own brother). Hubert and his Royce wife go on to have six children. Maegor is hailed as a hero, and made Aenys's new Hand of the King. Soon afterwards, two new dragons are hatched on Dragonstone (possibly Vermithor and Silverwing), which many hope is a sign for the two brothers.

39 AC - Aenys's sixth and final child is born, Princess Vaella, though she dies in the cradle. Even so, this further demonstration of Aenys and Alyssa's fertility makes something snap in Maegor, who has never been able to conceive a child. He marries Alys Harroway, embracing the polygamous marriage practices that the Targaryens weren't supposed to keep doing. The Faith of the Seven is in an uproar. Even Aenys realized how politically dangerous this was and told Maegor to either set aside Alys or go to exile in Pentos for five years - he chose exile and left with Balerion. To appease the High Septon, Aenys names Septon Murmison as Hand of the King...who turns out to be an abysmal failure.

41 AC - Aenys announces the marriage between Prince Aegon and Princess Rhaena. It isn't clear why he made such a political disastrous decision. Many think that overseeing construction of the Red Keep made him increasingly proud of his heritage, and thinking of the thousand-year legacy that the Targaryen dynasty would establish, he got a bit arrogant about the whole "keep the bloodline pure" thing. Others point out that another factor is that he was genuinely out of touch by this point: the personally charismatic young prince had grown into and out-of-touch and very unpopular king. Many lost respect for him after how poorly he responded to those localized rebellions at the start of his reign.

42 AC - The Faith goes ballistic, because they thought the Targaryens would stop having such incestuous marriages (they avoided discussing it, but it was sort of an unstated assumption that they wouldn't antagonize the Faith like this). This announcement is what directly sparked the Faith Militant uprising. King's Landing was still under construction so it was easily overrun by the Faith Militant. The Warrior's Sons fortified the Sept of Remembrance on Rhaenys's Hill. Aenys and his family flee to Dragonstone. Foreign officials such as the Iron Bank of Braavos consider the High Septon in Oldtown to be the real ruler of Westeros. Aenys deteriorated from the stress, then became very sick in the bowels. The Grand Maester can't help him so Visenya intervenes. Some suspect she may have poisoned him because he died three days later (those who suspect this disagree on her motive; some that it was to advance Maegor, others suspect that she saw that Aenys had become so unfit to rule that she killed him for the good of the realm).

Then again, he might not have been poisoned, as he seemed to be recovering for a time (and because he had always had health problems). However, Aegon and Rhaena had been making a procession around the realm after their marriage and were caught in the Westerlands when the Faith Militant uprising hit (as stated in the "History of the Westerlands" reading, the ruler of the Westerlands during Maegor's reign was Lyman Lannister). When Aenys heard that they were besieged in Crakehall Castle, he had a complete breakdown and soon died. Visenya rode to Pentos on Vhagar an hour after Aenys died (not even staying for his cremation), and soon returned with Maegor and Balerion.

[Rhaenys_Targaryen]

Maegor was born in 12AC, not 11AC.

And Rhaena and Aegon married in 41AC, perhaps that date for the wedding can be specified?

[Jaak]

Yeah, he should be at the Starry Sept of Oldtown. Presumably, Septon Eustace was some sort of representative of the Faith at the Targaryen court.

That´s not clear for me.

Septon Murmison was a Targaryen favourite, and remained Hand when formally expelled from Faith. And Septon Barth was more a sorceror than a septon, but apparently not formally expelled from Faith in his lifetime.

[HexMachina]

That´s not clear for me.

Septon Murmison was a Targaryen favourite, and remained Hand when formally expelled from Faith. And Septon Barth was more a sorceror than a septon, but apparently not formally expelled from Faith in his lifetime.

Well, I wasn't saying it was clear. I meant it as a possibility. But since he crowned Aegon II in the High Septon's stead, he does seem to have some connection to the upper circles of the Faith. From the wiki:

Because the High Septon was too old and frail to travel from Oldtown to King's Landing, Eustace anointed and blessed Aegon II during his coronation.

(I can't quote from the book, I don't have a copy of my own)

[Rhaenys_Targaryen]

@The Dragon Demands, in yor summary, you had the high septons death in the same passage as Maegors birth, both which you now have under 12AC. While Maegor was born in 12 AC indeed, the high septon died in 11AC ;)

[Acnologia Targaryen]

i'm still amazed that there weren't more dragons before the conquest i mean they were all dragon riders before they were wed. I guess considring they had no children before the conquest too it should not be all that surprising.

I hope for more info on Rhaenys though what was her relationship like with visenya when they ruled together.

[Arataniello]

The chronology-based notes that I put together from other reports made in this thread:

[mod] please only post material in threads that is relevant to the discussion. Repeating large chunks of text from other threads with no attempt to highlight or extract pertinent information is of limited use. [/mod]

[The Dragon Demands]

I am sorry, ser. It was convenient to have one big list, and I couldn't edit my old one anymore after the thread got locked (now I can include the corrections Rhaenys pointed out -- this was a big reason for reposting it).

Is there any way on their forum to make a collapsible section? At any rate, I don't see it expanding longer at this point so I don't think it can do too much harm...

[The Dragon Demands]

i'm still amazed that there weren't more dragons before the conquest i mean they were all dragon riders before they were wed. I guess considring they had no children before the conquest too it should not be all that surprising.

I hope for more info on Rhaenys though what was her relationship like with visenya when they ruled together.

There were...Balerion was one of five original Valyrian dragons that the Targaryens brought to Dragonstone. Vhagar and Meraxes hatched from their eggs. All four of these originals died during the 100 years between the Doom and the Conquest....through unexplained circumstances. Leading to the theory that there was a "Dance of Dragons Zero" at some point between the early Targaryens.

So if you're asking "where are all of the hatchlings born in those 100 years on Dragonstone?"....that *was* Vhagar and Meraxes.

Though yes it is odd...two hatchlings from five dragons in 100 years....then suddenly 3 dragons produce around 8 hatchlings in forty years?

[Acnologia Targaryen]

There were...Balerion was one of five original Valyrian dragons that the Targaryens brought to Dragonstone. Vhagar and Meraxes hatched from their eggs. All four of these originals died during the 100 years between the Doom and the Conquest....through unexplained circumstances. Leading to the theory that there was a "Dance of Dragons Zero" at some point between the early Targaryens.

So if you're asking "where are all of the hatchlings born in those 100 years on Dragonstone?"....that *was* Vhagar and Meraxes.

Though yes it is odd...two hatchlings from five dragons in 100 years....then suddenly 3 dragons produce around 8 hatchlings in forty years?

exactly i mean what happened after Vhagar and meraxes grew did balerion not feel like mating??

[RumHam]

exactly i mean what happened after Vhagar and meraxes grew did balerion not feel like mating??

It's possible there were other hatchlings who died. Bonding with Quicksilver made Aenys stronger, so maybe the bond strengthens the dragon as well. I wouldn't be surprised if the survival rate of wild hatchlings was lower than that of bonded hatchlings. We know nothing about wild dragon parenting habits. It may even have been Targaryen policy to kill any extra dragons to prevent them from going wild, or to prevent others from claiming them.

[Acnologia Targaryen]

It's possible there were other hatchlings who died. Bonding with Quicksilver made Aenys stronger, so maybe the bond strengthens the dragon as well. I wouldn't be surprised if the survival rate of wild hatchlings was lower than that of bonded hatchlings. We know nothing about wild dragon parenting habits. It may even have been Targaryen policy to kill any extra dragons to prevent them from going wild, or to prevent others from claiming them.

interesting theory and it is true by the time aegon/rhaenys/visenya became dragon rider we don't know if their parents were and they had no other relatives, unless you count orys.

[J. Stargaryen]

I am sorry, ser. It was convenient to have one big list, and I couldn't edit my old one anymore after the thread got locked (now I can include the corrections Rhaenys pointed out -- this was a big reason for reposting it).

Is there any way on their forum to make a collapsible section? At any rate, I don't see it expanding longer at this point so I don't think it can do too much harm...

Spoiler tags.

[Jaak]

Found Grand Maester.

A Grand Maester was with Aenys who had fled to Dragonstone, and unsuccessfully tried to heal his belly.

[Arataniello]

I am sorry, ser. It was convenient to have one big list, and I couldn't edit my old one anymore after the thread got locked (now I can include the corrections Rhaenys pointed out -- this was a big reason for reposting it).

Is there any way on their forum to make a collapsible section? At any rate, I don't see it expanding longer at this point so I don't think it can do too much harm...

The easiest solution would have been to provide a hyperlink to the previous post, and then append that with additional information or corrections.

[Grievous]

Possible.. And with the effect that giving Aenys an egg would have had, it might have inspired giving all future Targaryen children an egg in the cradle whenever possible..

I mean, that "tradition" will have had some kind of origin, and it seems that it wasn't done regularly yet around this time (otherwise, Maegor would have had a dragon of his own before Balerion).

I don't think Maegor is evidence for there not being such a tradition. It seems he was quite adamant that only Balerion was fit for him (and one could argue that the fact that this information is noteworthy at all at the time is proof that there indeed was a tradition that he went against). It's very probable imho that it is a Valyrian dragonrider custom.

[Maia]

If Maegor had an egg laid in his cradle and it hatched, then he would have been a young child when the question of bonding his hatchling came up. Hardly likely or in position to adamantly refuse to do so - unless Visenya put him up to it. OTOH, given Maegor's procreation difficulties, it seems likely that he wouldn't have been able to hatch eggs either, as I have a feeling that these things could be connected.

But from what I gather, it hasn't been suggested that Aenys had an egg laid in his cradle or hatched Quicksilver, like it is mentioned for later Targaryens. And it wasn't done for Visenya, Aegon and Rhaenys either, obviously. So, there is a reason to doubt that it was a normal dragonlord tradition.

I imagine that the dragonlords used to try to keep their oldest and biggest dragons always bonded to riders, so wouldn't have necessarily wanted their children to bond hatchlings at a young age. In fact, we know that Targaryen family very much suffered from unchecked proliferation of dragons and leaving older dragons without riders in the Dance of the Dragons.

[Veltigar]

I know it doesn't look good for her, but I hope Visenya is more than just an evil stepmother.

[lojzelote]

On the dragon thing:

Sadism is not madness. The two clearly mad Targaryens are Rhaegel and Aerys II, both without dragons. Baelor was somewhat deranged. Specific dragon obsessed signs of madness can be found in many Targaryens - Aerys II (obsession with fire, and belief he would transform into a living dragon), Aerion (belief he was a living dragon in human form, and would transform into a dragon). Others - Aegon V, Daeron the Drunken - were apparently also killed by their dragon dreams.

The dragon trope of the Targaryen madness was most certainly not existent in the Targaryens who still had actual dragons. It's certainly no coincidence that GRRM designed them this way. Aemond and Daemon were rash in their youth, and show sadistic tendencies, but they were never mad (although Aemond was not very bright).

Sadism is considered to be a personality disorder, I think.

IMHO, it has more to do with that Daemon nor Aemond didn't live through anything like Duscandale. From what we know of young Aerys, he had not been the "Mad Prince", although he had had his little episodes everyone had been willing to overlook because otherwise he had been such a charming and generous guy. Might be that those warning incidents in his youth Barristan mentioned were nothing else than particularly strong bursts of bad temper, similar to what to those Daemon had displayed, like that beaten-up messenger.

As for Aerion, his drinking of wildfire certainly appears like an insane deed, but I don't think he was insane - at least not early in life. For one, he was aware that Maekar wouldn't approve if he learnt of his bullying of others, so he always behaved around him. He knew there were limits, even for him. He was a sadist with a giant ego, but with some cunning and IMO very much like a dragonless Aemond would be.

Anyway, the early Targaryens didn't feel the need to drink wildfire or set themselves on fire because they already had dragons; they hadn't felt the pressure to prove themselves like the later Targaryens did.

[Acnologia Targaryen]

I know it doesn't look good for her, but I hope Visenya is more than just an evil stepmother.

every Targ is more than what they seem to be honest so visenya was indeed more than that.