Skyrim System In Westeros

Wright pulled a chair to the desk and motioned for Aemon to sit. Once seated, Aemon unrolled the scroll and carefully examined its contents.

"I cannot confirm the accuracy of this," Aemon began. "These scrolls were copied from the archives of Black Wall. The events described occurred so long ago that there's no way to verify them. If you want to see the originals, you'll have to visit the library in Black Wall. That place was once a Valyrian outpost and has never been touched by war. Many relics of the old era are preserved there. But the residents of Black Wall claim ancient bloodlines, and indeed they are pure Valyrians, causing them to be highly xenophobic. Outsiders, commoners, and foreigners are not permitted entry unless personally invited by one of their own."

"My parents met their end while searching for a pure-blooded Valyrian bride for Prince Rhaegar in the Straits. They perished in a storm, and not even their bodies were recovered," Wright said, recalling the events of over a decade ago. "And what about what's written here about the forty families?" Wright continued.

"That part is true," Aemon replied. "The Valyrian Empire had many noble families, and many of them were dragonriders. However, the knowledge of dragon hatching, breeding, and magic was concentrated among the forty families, known as the Dragonlords. These families held dominion over the empire. The Targaryens were among these families but ranked near the bottom."

"There's a book I read in the Red Keep also wrote that House Velaryon of Driftmark had dragon riders, but the dragons were hatched by the Targaryens themselves." Wright said before producing another scroll and handing it to Aemon. "And what about this scroll, which mentions the shepherds of Valyria and the Fourteen Flames?"

As night fell, Aemon's aging eyes began to struggle with the dim light. He brought the scroll closer to his face, prompting Wright to cast a light spell to illuminate the room.

"Magic!" Aemon exclaimed, momentarily setting aside the scroll. "It seems the descriptions of Valyrian magic in these texts hold significant truth." Aemon, having heard countless tales of magic throughout his life, trusted only what he could witness. Seeing Wright's spell solidified his belief.

"I also believe that the depictions of Valyrian magic in various books are unlikely to be entirely fabricated," Wright added.

"Regarding Valyria's origins," Aemon began, "over five thousand years ago, our ancestors came from shepherd tribes. It's said they discovered dragon eggs and learned to tame dragons near the Fourteen Flames, a chain of volcanoes."

"I've read similar accounts in books at the Citadel," Wright recalled.

Aemon looked at Wright and began, "When I was young, I read a few books in the library of Dragonstone about the history of the Dragonlord families. Later, my brother sought to hatch dragon eggs and took these books with him to Summerhall. You know the rest — Summerhall burned, and my brother perished in that fire."

"Can you recall what was written in those books?" Wright pressed.

Aemon, his expression contemplative, began to recount, "During the Doom of Valyria, most of the forty Dragonlord families were destroyed. However, three families survived because they were not in Valyria at the time, one of them being the Targaryens. But during the empire's early days, there weren't as many as forty Dragonlord families.

"The Valyrian Peninsula had numerous volcanoes, but only the Fourteen Flames were rich in resources and mineral wealth. These mines were so abundant that even when Valyria's destruction came, they had not been exhausted. From what I recall of the books, tracing back five thousand years reveals that there were initially only fourteen Dragonlord families. The Fourteen Flames were their domains, claimed on a first-come, first-served basis.

"In the empire's early days, only these fourteen Dragonlord families held power. I theorize that these fourteen lords may have had a common patriarch. Upon his death, he divided his power among his children, establishing a council system for governance. After all, who would entrust such powerful dragons and immense authority to outsiders?"

Wright considered this and nodded. "That analysis does make sense. A council system five thousand years ago is remarkable. But could one man truly have fathered forty legitimate heirs? And how many dragons could there have been to distribute among them? Families without dragons would inevitably decline and couldn't possibly sustain themselves for five millennia.

Moreover, there would likely have been branch families and bastards, much like House Targaryen. Branch families, such as the Velaryons, and bastards who distinguished themselves could establish new houses, like the Baratheons. So, over five thousand years, it's plausible that the fourteen original Dragonlords expanded to forty."

Aemon seemed unfazed by Wright's remarks about his ancestors. If such matters truly concerned him, he would have claimed the crown long ago. He continued,

"The original fourteen Dragonlords who settled the richest of the Fourteen Flames — it can't be mere coincidence, don't you think? I have another theory. They didn't find dragon eggs at the Flames. Instead, they obtained the eggs elsewhere and later chose the Flames as a place to hatch them."

Wright nodded, unsurprised. "I've read similar theories in the Citadel. Some writings mention Valyrian magic spells used to control the Fourteen Flames. But the first hatching of dragon eggs is too ancient to verify, leading to all sorts of conjectures. What else did the Dragonlord family records reveal?"

"In Valyria, it was tradition for unclaimed lands to be named after the family that occupied them. Thus, each of the Fourteen Flames had individual names," Aemon explained.

"Could you recall any of them?" Wright was intrigued. Such ancient secrets were rarely written in books and seemed reserved for the Dragonlord families.

"I read those books decades ago, so some names escape me, but I remember a few: Zahkriisos, Woodwn, and our own Targaryen ancestors' name, Ahzidal."

Wright found these names vaguely familiar but couldn't place where he had seen them before.

"The more powerful the Dragonlord families, the closer they lived to the Valyrian capital. When the Doom struck, none of them survived. Meanwhile, families on the empire's fringes managed to escape. Finding such records now is nearly impossible." Aemon continued.

Over the millennia of the empire, much knowledge was taken away by branch families, bastards, and even slaves. It's said that the founder of the Faceless Men was once a slave working in Valyrian volcanic mines. He stole Valyrian knowledge and magic and fled to Braavos, where he created the worship of the Many-Faced God and the House of Black and White.

The arrogant Dragonlords dismissed him as a mere rodent who had picked up scraps of their craft and ignored his growth. If you're keen on uncovering Valyrian history, your best bets are the Valyrian ruins and the Black Wall. But don't overlook other ancient places — they, too, have roots in the Valyrian Empire."

"One of my travel destinations in Essos is the Valyrian ruins. It's every explorer's dream. I'll pass through Volantis on the way, so I might stop by the Black Wall to have a look."

Aemon offered a warning. "You should be cautious. After the Doom, Valyria became a wasteland of molten lava, noxious gases, and plagues. Many who contracted greyscale were exiled there to die. Desperate for food, they've turned feral and will attack you like beasts."

"Thank you, Maester Aemon, for your insights. I'll be careful."

Night had fallen. Satisfied with the information he had gathered, Wright returned to his quarters. There, he exchanged magical knowledge with Leaf. However, while her understanding of magic had been passed down orally through generations, it lacked systematic theory. Instead, Wright's structured knowledge proved more beneficial to her.

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