A thousand years ago, Karlon Stark put down a rebel lord and was rewarded with lands and a castle he named Karhold. The Karhold Starks became House Karstark, greatly benefiting Winterfell and the reverse to the Dreadfort. Over the centuries, the Starks and Karstarks would intermarry several times, renewing their ancient ties through marriage alliance. But the events of ASOIAF have seen great change, as Rickard Karstark went from staunch ally of King Robb Stark to the execution block. There’s now a rush to claim Karhold - his daughter Alys married Sigorn, son of the man who led the attack on Castle Black and they’ve got 200 Thenns backing them, but the lawful heir Harrion Karstark is still alive in the south and Arnolf Karstark has conspired with the Boltons to betray Stannis to claim the castle for his son Cregan. Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com Nina: goodqueenaly.tumblr.com Sean's YouTube: bit.ly/3818H9X www.historyofwesteros.com

Once the closest thing to a town in the lands beyond The Wall, something terrible and mysterious befell Hardhome about 600 years ago. It has since become an overgrown ruin, shunned and considered accursed… Yet despite that, it is suddenly important again - as hordes of refugees flee there, following the dreams of a woods witch. As reports reach Jon of wights in the woods and waters, dreams reach Melisandre of an impossibly cold mist turning the Free Folk into skulls. What the heck happened all those years ago? And what the heck is happening there now? Could this be how the Others get their army? Head to factormeals.com/westeros50 and use code westeros50 to get 50% off. Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com Nina: goodqueenaly.tumblr.com Sean's YouTube: bit.ly/3818H9X www.historyofwesteros.com

A twist, two trailers at once - we dive into them both, turn on video on Spotify to view the images. Many screenshots from both trailers will have their due! Rize: https://rize.io/u/westeros and use promo code WESTEROS for a 25% discount off your first three months! Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com Sean's YouTube: bit.ly/3818H9X www.historyofwesteros.com

“How often do you think about the Roman Empire?” is a fun question that went viral in 2024, but in this episode we’re concerned more with how often GRRM thought about Rome (and not just the empire) when writing ASOIAF. We’ll also take a few minutes to talk about how HBO’s Rome was pivotal to the making of HBO’s GoT. Rize: https://rize.io/u/westeros and use promo code WESTEROS for a 25% discount off your first three months! Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com Nina: goodqueenaly.tumblr.com Sean's YouTube: bit.ly/3818H9X www.historyofwesteros.com

A look at the early life of the man who became the most devious in the Seven Kingdoms. We’ll delve into his days on the street, learning to steal and survive, to the mummer’s troupe and being sold for a ritual that maimed him. When left to die, he vowed to live, and what a life it was for the Spider… From near death to Prince of Thieves and a lifelong partnership with a certain bravo named Illyrio Mopatis. Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com Nina: goodqueenaly.tumblr.com Sean's YouTube: bit.ly/3818H9X www.historyofwesteros.com

The second half of Aziz's discussion with Alt Shift X. This portion includes spoilers for all Dune books and includes discussions on themes and parallels... and some major differences as well.

He’s an undead ranger and skinchanger with an elk and ravens… and a mission. He saves Sam & Gilly and leads them to the Black Gate at the Nightfort so they can bring Bran and friends to him on the other side… because he cannot pass. He leads them far to the north and on the way he kills turncloak rangers, makes cannibals of them all, and calls himself “your monster, Brandon Stark”. He helps them fight off wights at the cave mouth where the Last Greenseer resides, but does not follow… because he cannot pass. He’s Coldhands - but who is Coldhands? We might not know his identity, but his very existence tells us a lot about the Old Gods, the Others and the Children. Go to https://magicmind.com/westeros and get up to 56% off your subscription for the next 10 days with code WESTEROS20. Head to factormeals.com/westeros50 and use code westeros50 to get 50% off. Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com Nina: goodqueenaly.tumblr.com www.historyofwesteros.com

DUNE is one of the most successful sci fi creations of all time, and GRRM is absolutely one of the many who was influenced by it. In this episode, Aziz and Alt Shift X discuss both authors, their styles and the many parallels to Dune found in ASOIAF. There are NO spoilers for Dune 2 the movie in this episode - but look out for part 2 of this episode, which WILL have spoilers. Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Alt Shift X- www.patreon.com/AltShiftX Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com www.historyofwesteros.com

Aegon and Visenya faced no true threats to their reign from the outside, but the biggest problems can start from within, and even the first House of the Dragon was troubled by such. An abundance of Targaryen births late in the Conqueror’s reign set off issues of succession, marriage, dragon-bonding and other matters of power and status. Meanwhile King’s Landing was growing even faster just outside their front door… and even though more dragons were hatching as well, that front door started to look a bit flimsy. Go to https://magicmind.com/westeros and get up to 56% off your subscription for the next 10 days with code WESTEROS20. Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com Nina: goodqueenaly.tumblr.com Sean's YouTube: bit.ly/3818H9X www.historyofwesteros.com

The First Dornish War was Aegon the Conqueror’s last war. For the rest of his reign he was largely concerned with peace. However, enforcing peace in warlike Westeros is no easy thing. Did Aegon actually rule well, or was everyone just afraid of him? Did his policies lead to the many civil conflicts that came less than a generation after his death? Go to https://magicmind.com/westeros and get up to 56% off your subscription for the next 10 days with code WESTEROS20. Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com Nina: goodqueenaly.tumblr.com Sean's YouTube: bit.ly/3818H9X www.historyofwesteros.com

The deaths of Queen Rhaenys and even moreso, Princess Meria, led to the end of the First Dornish War. But ultimately the final decision was made by Aegon upon receipt of the mysterious letter that he burned immediately afterwards. What was in the letter? That, and the legacies of Rhaenys and Meria are the focal points of this episode. Get up to 56% off at https://magicmind.com/westeros with our code WESTEROS20. Head to factormeals.com/westeros50 and use code westeros50 to get 50% off. Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com Nina: goodqueenaly.tumblr.com Sean's YouTube: bit.ly/3818H9X www.historyofwesteros.com

A strange but true fact about the First Dornish War: by far the longest and most brutal phase came after the Conqueror declared victory and took most of his troops home. We break down the assassinations, bounties, raids and other shameful acts of intrigue that came to define the conflict more than battles ever could. You get 1 month for free, when you’re subscribing for 3 months at: https://magicmind.com/JANwesteros And with our code WESTEROS20, it’s an extra 20% off, which gets you to 75% off, until Feb 10. Head to factormeals.com/westeros50 and use code westeros50 to get 50% off. Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com Nina: goodqueenaly.tumblr.com Sean's YouTube: bit.ly/3818H9X www.historyofwesteros.com

Last time we discussed the first few years of Aegon’s reign. The final subtopic we covered was the peaceful attempts to bring Dorne into the realm. We wondered what kind of offers and/or threats were made… regardless, though, they didn’t work. You get 1 month for free, when you’re subscribing for 3 months at: https://magicmind.com/JANwesteros And with our code WESTEROS20, it’s an extra 20% off, which gets you to 75% off, until the end of January. Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com Nina: goodqueenaly.tumblr.com Sean's YouTube: bit.ly/3818H9X www.historyofwesteros.com

An episode with a lot of sisters… The Three Sisters, meaning the islands north of the Vale and South of White Harbor… and the Two Sisters, meaning Aegon’s Queens. Mighty though they are in war, and we’ll see more of that… along with their brother, it’s time to see how they are as rulers. You get 1 month for free, when you’re subscribing for 3 months at: https://magicmind.com/JANwesteros And with our code WESTEROS20, it’s an extra 20% off, which gets you to 75% off, until the end of January. Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com Nina: goodqueenaly.tumblr.com Sean's YouTube: bit.ly/3818H9X www.historyofwesteros.com

The end of 2023 features a gift from GRRM - a handwritten outline for AFFC! This scroll contains his plans for many of the POV characters. Among other things, it seems to confirm a few existing theories... Link to the outline if you'd like to peruse it ahead of time: https://www.reddit.com/r/asoiaf/comments/18519cz/spoilers_extended_grrms_20032004_outline_for_affc/ You get 1 month for free, when you’re subscribing for 3 months at: https://magicmind.com/JANwesteros And with our code WESTEROS20, it’s an extra 20% off, which gets you to 75% off, until the end of January. Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com Nina: goodqueenaly.tumblr.com Sean's YouTube: bit.ly/3818H9X www.historyofwesteros.com

The penultimate episode of the series! Intro - 00:04:50 The Mighty Have Fallen... Back to Square One - 00:07:38 Stag Takes King's Landing - 00:09:07 The Secret Council - 00:13:22 The Demands of the Sea Snake - 00:19:14 The Return of the King - 00:24:10 Targaryen State of Mind - 00:32:27 The King in Check - 00:43:40 Midroll - 00:49:56 Setting the Board - 00:54:40 The Battle of the Kingsroad - 00:57:34 A Short, Sad Reign - 01:14:43 Exit Aegon the Elder - 01:19:11 Enter Aegon the Younger - 01:25:08 https://www.youtube.com/@RadioWesteros Music Credits Private Reflection Constancy Part Two Dark Times Intrepid Measured Paces Mourning Song String Impromptu Number One Relent Suonatore di Liuto Teller of Tales The Pyre Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Artists Hylora: https://hylora.tumblr.com riotarttherite: https://riotarttherite.tumblr.com/ warp-speed: https://warp-speed.tumblr.com/ Additional art from Histories and Lore - The Dance of the Dragons.

The first trailer for House of the Dragon season 2 has been released, so let's analyze it together, with images. We will discuss spoilers based on Fire & Blood and filming reports, but not leaks, in the second half of the episode. Magic Mind: https://magicmind.com/westeros Get up to 50% off your subscription for the next 10 days with code WESTEROS20 Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com Nina: goodqueenaly.tumblr.com Sean's YouTube: bit.ly/3818H9X www.historyofwesteros.com

No character represents the concept of revenge or the blood feud like the Red Viper. It is ironic, and quite intriguing that his paramour Ellaria Sand is quite likely the character who best represents opposition to these cycles of violence... and unlike Oberyn, she's still alive and still fighting for peace, while one of her daughters, named Elia for Oberyn's beloved sister, is joining the Game of Thrones. Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com Nina: goodqueenaly.tumblr.com Sean's YouTube: bit.ly/3818H9X www.historyofwesteros.com

It has been said that tough places breed tough people, and it seems to be true even amongst the noble Houses of Westeros. We take a look at the families who have staked their claims in the most extreme and remote locations. Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com Nina: goodqueenaly.tumblr.com Sean's YouTube: bit.ly/3818H9X www.historyofwesteros.com

Who knows about it? Who have they told and who will they tell? and when?? How might it impact House Stark, the Night's Watch, Stannis, Roose, and the rest? There are so many players, and none of them have the full picture. Robb's will has the potential to supercharge the North at a time when so much is already happening, and winter is coming... Few topics in all of ASOIAF have this many moving parts! Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com Nina: goodqueenaly.tumblr.com Sean's YouTube: bit.ly/3818H9X www.historyofwesteros.com