Fires of Valyria - AGOT Century of Blood AAR

[Eludio]

Introduction

​

Doom befalls Valyria, and the Century of Blood begins. The simultaneous eruption of the Fourteen Fires has shattered the Peninsula whence the dragonlords had once ruled the world, enslaving and conquering without opposition. The flames have engulfed the ancient city and it's surroundings, burning to ashes both men and dragons, marking the end of Valyrian dominance over Essos. All over the continent, the remaining dragon riders are, one after the other, slain by the people they once lorded over, their beasts rampaging free in the countryside.


In the East, the power vacuum left by the fall of the Freehold emboldens the Dothraki hordes, who now have free reign over the steppes and menace the now orphaned "daughters of Valyria". In the West, the Exile, dragonlord Aenar Targaryen, rules the bleak isle of Dragonstone, on the shores of Westeros, a continent engulfed in the constant war between the Sunset Kingdoms. In the South, Valyria's "eldest daughter", the City of Volantis, aims to take her mother's place as the Triarchs attempt to forge a New Valyrian Freehold.


It is to the North, however, that one must look. To the City of Sorcerers, Qohor of the Black Goat, where the dragonlord Aurion, atop his golden dragon Elenixes, vows to retake his homeland, assuming the title of Emperor of Valyria. Some scoff at his attempts, sure that he will meet his end in the smoking ruins left by the Doom. Others look in terror at the Valyrian, fearful that the fall of the Freehold might only herald the ascent of the Empire.

Author's Notes
​

I picked up the AGOT mod once again after reading @Henry v. Keiper's brilliant Valyrian Steel AAR, and immediately fell in love with the mod's new Bookmark, set a century before Aegon's Conquest, when the Doom had just struck Valyria. I will be playing as the dragonlord Aurion, a footnote in the World of Ice and Fire, that sailed with a host of thirty thousand men to reconquer Valyria, but was never heard from again.

As with my other ongoing AAR, Res Gestae Gentis Lartiae, I will write the AAR as a novel, but unlike the Res Gestae, I have no plans, at all, on where this story will go.

I hope you have fun reading this!

 

[Henry v. Keiper]

First, I'm flattered I inspired someone to do some writing. Second, this sounds interesting already. You don't see a lot of AARs that take place over in Essos.

 

[stnylan]

Interesting. I don't recall reading another GoT AAR recently where the centre of activity is Essos rather than Westeros.

 

[Specialist290]

I'm actually in the middle of an Aurion playthrough myself. It's intriguing to see how differently the world has evolved from canon already; I'll have to keep tabs on this and compare notes -- and enjoy the story, of course

 

[Captain Waffles]

Intriguing, yet there is a chance you will die from dysentery but you may end up the most powerful conqueror there is, I dunno.

 

[Eludio]

First, I'm flattered I inspired someone to do some writing. Second, this sounds interesting already. You don't see a lot of AARs that take place over in Essos.

Thanks! And hey, give unto Caesar right? Really would never have picked up the mod again without your AAR

Interesting. I don't recall reading another GoT AAR recently where the centre of activity is Essos rather than Westeros.

Yeah, I guess it comes natural with how little we know about Essos compared to the Seven Kingdoms. I actually enjoy Essos very much, and not knowing all the lore makes me not feel that bad when I smash it with a hammer 

I'm actually in the middle of an Aurion playthrough myself. It's intriguing to see how differently the world has evolved from canon already; I'll have to keep tabs on this and compare notes -- and enjoy the story, of course

Always more than willing to trade notes! I've already grown quite fond of the scenario.

Intriguing, yet there is a chance you will die from dysentery but you may end up the most powerful conqueror there is, I dunno.

Dysentery, greyscale, random dragons, sulphur filled seas, a city right out of Fallout, but hey, who doesn't like a bit of excitement when they travel!

 

[Eludio]

​

The dragonlord was pacing the room like a caged beast, his ashen ponytail helping the comparison as it swayed with each step he took. Not even a month had passed since the Doom had engulfed the Valyrian Peninsula, putting an end to the Freehold and killing most of the great dragons along with their masters. It was pure luck that had saved Aurion Varezys’s life, or so Magister Daario thought. The dragonlord, however, had seen in his salvation an act of providence, and had wasted no time before proclaiming himself the First Valyrian Emperor.

​

“No news at all?” Aurion asked impatiently.


Daario Qarit shook his head. The Magister of Qohor had showed himself sympathetic to his Valyrian guest, and had allowed him to recruit a host of thirty thousand strong, hoping the dragonlord would act against Marquelo Targaros of Volantis’s so called New Valyrian Freehold and his expansionistic intentions. Thus far, however, Emperor Aurion had done little with the men under his command, instead stubbornly waiting for news from Valyria. Daario could not decide whether the dragonlord was desperately hoping some of his kin had survived, or had simply gone mad with grief.

​

“Damn it.” Aurion finally stopped walking. “Have none of your scouts returned?”

“None bearing tidings you would be interested in.” the Magister sighed, then added: “My Lord Emperor.”

“None have ventured into the Valyrian Peninsula?”

“Not far, your highness. Those that have gone near Valyria speak of ashes and smoke, of a darkened sky. And they say the Peninsula is no longer, that the eruption has fractured it into islands.”

Eruption. More likely some dragonlord magic gone awry. You Valyrians have called this upon yourselves. Daario smiled at the Varezys condescendingly, showing him he understood his grief.

“Curses!” the Emperor slammed a fist on the Magister’s wall. Flakes of plaster snowed on his black tunic. Daario pretended not to notice. “I should just fly to Valyria myself!”

“Let us not be hasty, lord. Perchance the Volantene know more…” Daario began, unwilling to risk his dragon riding ally’s life, and hoping to steer the conversation towards the New Valyrian Freehold, but was interrupted by the appearance of a third man. Or rather, a child.


Decked in a dark tunic, trimmed in red thread, the newcomer’s ashen hair he had inherited from his father flowed atop his shoulders like a mane, partially hiding his mother’s light grey eyes that nonetheless exuded wisdom far beyond his years. Aeryn Varezys either did not notice Daario sitting in the middle of the room, or simply chose to ignore the man, instead heading straight for his father, a wide smile stamped on his face. The Magister sighed, guessing the child had received another of his Dragon Dreams. More accursed Valyrian magic, in Daario’s opinion.

​

“Father!” Aeryn did not even bow to the Emperor, but the elder Varezys did not seem to mind.

“Aeryn! Good to see you up. Did the night bring any visions?” Aurion’s eyes gleamed as he looked at his son. The child’s Dragon Dreams had not manifested themselves in weeks, but the Emperor did not lose hope.

“Disturbing ones, father.” Aeryn shuddered for a moment, but his smile soon came back to his face. “But promising, I believe.”

“Speak child, do not keep us waiting.” Aurion stared at his son, while Daario sighed, doubting anything would come of the so called visions.

“I dreamt of Valyria, father.” Aeryn began, filling the Emperor with joy. “In my visions, the City was no longer the jewel I remember, but a ruin covered in ash and blood. Wild animals prowled the lands, picking at the bones of dead dragons. And then I saw it. From the smoking sea surrounding the city came a golden dragon, it’s wings shining bright in the darkened skies.”

“Elenixes!” Aurion whispered, thinking of the dragon that had flown with him to Qohor.

​

“My thoughts exactly.” Aeryn nodded. “Then the dragon swooped on the feasting beasts, and as they fell fell, the dragon took the shape of a man. Armored in valyrian steel, the man dug his hands deep into the charred earth, and from it he pulled out a crown, on which were encrusted the arms of the great Valyrian families. A crown, father, fit for an Emperor.”


Aurion Varezys breathed in deeply, visibly elated by the child’s wild tale. Daario shook his head, uncertain whether the boy was simply playing on his father’s delusions or whether the recent events had truly given him nightmares. After all, in but a few short weeks young Aeryn had lost his family, his homeland, all that he knew. The Emperor had tried his best to comfort the child, for whom the visit to Qohor was supposed to be the first great voyage, but in truth it had been mostly the son that comforted the father, giving Aurion hope and keeping him from going utterly mad. Still, Magister Daario was sure it must have been hard for the child to accept the new reality, even though he put on a brave face.


“Did you hear that, Daario?” Emperor Aurion sounded ecstatic.

“I did, my lord.” the Magister nodded, sighing. He was resigned.

“A golden dragon flies atop Valyria, and in it is crowned!” the Emperor tenderly ruffled his son’s hair. “You did well child. Thanks to you, I know my destiny. Our destiny! If none can bring me news of Valyria, I shall sail there myself, and show the world that the dragons aren’t dead!”


The child beamed, and his father laughed with him. Daario Qarit buried his face in his hands, certain he would be paying tribute to the Volantene triarchs before the year was over. His plotting had failed: the dragonlord that was to be Qohor’s last hope for independence would not march against the New Valyrian Freehold and wash Volantis in dragonfire, but rob the City of Sorcerers of thirty thousand fighting men that were sure to meet their death in Aurion’s mad endeavour.




News that the Emperor of Valyria was ready to face the Doom and reclaim his ancestral lands spread through the City like wildfire, and all manner of people came to Magister Daario’s palace in the following days, promising their assistance in whatever form they might better be suited to offer it. Most of them were of little help: a swindler attempted to sell Aurion magic potions and exotic balms that would supposedly protect him from dragonfire, some priests promised the man safe passage into Valyria had he converted, and two tailors offered him an invisible cloak that would shield him from arrows.


The tailors were kicked out by the Magister’s guards, after the Emperor informed them he had no need for new clothes. The priests he sent away in a kinder manner, but scoffed at their superstitions. The potion seller’s offer was received with hearty laughter, and before having him tossed into the street Aurion told him that: “The blood of the dragon does not fear fire.”


Daario had gotten used to people coming and going from his palace, always searching for the Emperor, always leaving empty handed. Thus it came to him as a no great surprise when, wandering into the chambers he had so gracefully offered to his Valyrian guest, he found him conversing with an old man, clad in dark hooded robes. Another crook, Daario though, and decided to wait until Aurion threw the beggar out before speaking with the Emperor. Who knows, maybe I’ll even get a laugh out of this.


“So you assure me the palace is still there?” Aurion leaned from his seat, caressing his beard pensively as he stared into the eyes of the old man.

“It is, my lord. The towers have been mostly destroyed, but the underground caverns should mostly be intact.” the old man gave a smile that Meraxes would have been afraid of.

“Should?” Aurion raised an eyebrow.

“I have not dared enter the palace itself, my lord Varezys.”

“Of course.” the Emperor nodded.

Here it comes, Daario thought. The old man had promised Aurion something, but had no proof to back his claims, and would soon face the rage of the dragonlord.

“Thank you, old man. You shall be greatly compensated for your help.” the Emperor held out a hand, and the old man placed a scroll in it, then bowed and left, without adding a word.


“What in the Black Goat's name was that all about?” Daario stepped towards Aurion, arms spread wide, an astonished look on his face. He had never imagined that, between all the people that had passed in his halls, the one that would finally catch the dragonlord’s attention was the filth covered old beggar.

“This map…” Aurion shook the scroll the old man had handed to him. “shows the current morphology of what once was the Valyrian Peninsula.”

“And you trust that old wizard’s word?” Daario looked at him with a smug smile.

Aurion stared at his host: “I knew that old wizard. Before the Doom struck Valyria.”

​

“Wh..what?” Daario stammered.

“Yes. I remember him.” the Magister was startled by Aeryn’s sudden appearance, not having noticed the child standing a few steps behind his father's throne. “He used to serve House Belaerys. He came to our home once with old Lady Jaenara…”

“Let's not speak of the past.” Aurion cut his son short, not keen on reliving happier times.

“And you think that map will allow you to sail safely through the smoking sea that surrounds Valyria?” Daario asked skeptically.

The Emperor threw him a puzzled look.

“No!” he exclaimed with a chuckle. The Magister drew a sigh of relief. “It is going to let my host sail safely. I have never been in any danger, on Elenixes’s back!”


Daario cursed silently, and did not even bother feigning a smile for the Emperor. Aurion did not notice, too busy was he laughing with Aeryn, telling the child of the Valyrian sword he would bring him once he had retaken the City.

 

[stnylan]

Well I can understand Aurion's desire to salvage something from his homeland. Daario in a sense has only himself to blame here.

 

[Specialist290]

Let us hope Aurion doesn't have too much trouble exploring lost Valyria -- else I fear this will be a rather short AAR.

 

[Eludio]

Well I can understand Aurion's desire to salvage something from his homeland. Daario in a sense has only himself to blame here.

Daario reminds me of Ilyrio a bit: he hosts a valyrian lord hoping it will benefit him somehow. Who knows whether it will be a fruitful cooperation or if it will come back and bite him.

Let us hope Aurion doesn't have too much trouble exploring lost Valyria -- else I fear this will be a rather short AAR.

That would be a very unique AAR ahahaha

But I'll at least manage to squeeze in a few chapters before he actually reaches the peninsula.

 

[Captain Waffles]

I expect the chapters leading up to and during the sail to Vlayria will be ripped straight from the Heart of Darkness. Don't disappoint us!

 

[Henry v. Keiper]

Interesting start. Already dreams, already hopes to obtain some of the former glory, and hence legitimacy. Now to see what happens.

 

[Eludio]

I expect the chapters leading up to and during the sail to Vlayria will be ripped straight from the Heart of Darkness. Don't disappoint us!

Valyria is dark and full of terrors, it is known! I can't find anything from Martin describing Valyria, so I'll try to hit the sweet spot between Heart of Darkness and Dante's Inferno

Interesting start. Already dreams, already hopes to obtain some of the former glory, and hence legitimacy. Now to see what happens.

Indeed! Will the Dragon Dreams be proved right? Have they been interpreted correctly? Did the child Aeryn simply eat too much before going to sleep? Find out more, in next week's chapter

 

[Eludio]

​

Captain Izembaro breathed in deeply as the Valyria docked at Volantis, sailors running up and down the deck to make sure the ship was well fastened to the pier. The ship was already safely moored of course, but no one on the Valyria wanted to give the impression they were doing nothing. Not when Aurion Varezys was on deck, his golden dragon Elenixes soaring above Valyria’s First Daughter.

​

Poor lads, most of them must have never been this close to a real dragon before, Izembaro thought as he looked at his crew. He, of course, had seen the winged beasts many times in his life, having often sailed to Old Valyria doing his “commercial voyages”, smuggling dragonglass and Valyrian steel from right under the dragonlords’ noses. Emperor Varezys knew nothing about his law breaking past, of course, as Magister Qarit had presented him only as the “sailor and navigator” best suited to captain a ship heading for the peninsula. At first he had been weary of the so called Emperor of Valyria, questioning the mental sanity of a man that would sail towards the Doom, instead of running away from it. But Emperor Varezys had shown himself to be a man of wit, and a good leader, keeping his men safe as they sailed towards the shattered remains of the peninsula. The host had sailed around the western coast of Essos, a fleet that large being unable to pass through the Rhonye without losing half the men to greyscale on the way, and the voyage had not been uneventful. Pirates mostly steered clear of the armed warships, but at one point, as they neared the Summer Sea, the Valyria itself had been attacked by a kraken, its long tentacles climbing the ship’s masts as it tried to carry the flagship down into the depths. The Emperor had thrown himself at the beast, getting wounded by it before it was finally slain with the help of Elenixes.

​

“Captain!” as the Emperor called for him Izembaro bowed low.

“Your Magnificence.” the Qohorik made lord Varezys smile, calling him thus. “Do you intend to go ashore?”

“Of course!” the Emperor slapped him on the shoulder. “And I want you to join me!”

“Me, lord?” Izem hoped the man did not see him blush slightly.

“Yes you!” Aurion Varezys smiled. “You are the captain of my flagship, and lacking any dragonlords, that makes you one of the highest ranking people in the fleet. You’ll come with me and my commanders.”

With his commanders, of course, the Captain felt like a fool: “Certainly, your Magnificence, but are you sure the Triarchs won’t see this as an insult?”

“The Triarchs?” the dragonlord chuckled. “I don’t think the Triarchs will visit our same bar.”

​

Izembaro grew more and more astonished as Emperor Varezys guided his commanders through the city, which he seemingly knew like his own pockets, laughing with them along the way. Izem could see why the dragonlord’s men followed him as they did: he was a born leader, possessing something which neither high status nor an ancient family name can guarantee. Wherever he walked, other men followed, and no one dared stand in his way. Aurion Varezys was, to the eyes of the Volantene, a rogue, a pretender and a rival, yet as he crossed the city and walked in the shadow of the Black Wall no one bothered him, and when he entered the “Drunken Tiger”, he and his party were welcomed as the most honored guests. The tavern’s owner assigned some servers to their table exclusively, and before long wine began to flow in rivers. Aurion Varezys drank as much as his commanders, slapping them on the shoulder as he made them the butt of some joke, much like a father slaps the child he is playfully mocking, as if to reassure him that there is no real cruelty in his words.


“The Emperor surprises you, Qohorik?” Daeron, one of Emperor Aurion’s oldest commanders, looked at Izem with a smirk.

​

“He is… something else.” the captain nodded pensively. “I thought he would be quite different.”

“In what way?” Daeron stroked his moustache.

“In every way!” Izem exclaimed, then added: “I do not mean to be offensive, Daeron, but he is not exactly what one imagines a Valyrian dragonlord to be.”

Daeron chuckled: “And what did you imagine a Valyrian dragonlord to be like?”

“Not a man of the people! I always thought the Valyrian nobility to be aloof, certainly not mixing with lowborn men, especially when...”

“When they are lowborn goat worshippers!” the Valyrian commander smirked. Izem smiled courteously, not knowing whether that was but friendly mockery or grave insult. “Ah, but our Emperor is not simply a dragonlord. Sure, he was given life on a silver platter, but at least he proved to deserve nobility,unlike so many others.”

“What do you mean?”

“Most of them just think that hailing from a family of dragon riders means they don't owe anyone anything, and can do whatever they well please.”

“And it is not so?”

“That is not the point.” Daeron shook his head. “Dragonlords in Valyria act as if we are worth nothing. Emperor Aurion isn't like that. He is a commander before being a nobleman. In battle he might fight atop Elenixes, but it is as if he were at his men's side, taking good care that battles go as much in our favor as they do in his and the Freehold’s.”

Izem smirked: “A nobleman with a heart and a commander that cares for his men? Does he rescue captive princesses in his spare time?”

“No.” Daeron grimaced. “He had a princess once, but the Doom took her. Even high birth is not enough to save someone from the wrath of the Gods, it seems.”


“Captain!” Emperor Aurion interrupted Daeron and Izem’s conversation, before the Qohorik was able to ask the old commander whether he had been born an ass or had become sour with age.

“Your Magnificence!”

“It is an ancient Valyrian custom...” the Emperor started, a smile on his face. “that, when the servants bringing the wine disappear for too long, the most junior officer goes investigating at the bar.”

“Of course.” Izem bowed his head as he rose from the table, glad to be freed of the old commander’s company.


As he made his way through the tavern, Izem once more found himself thinking about the situation he had put himself into. From smuggler to captain of the Dragon Emperor, that would be a good title for my memoirs, he thought. Not that he could write of course. When he had first been approached by Magister Daario he had thought little about it: it would not have been the first time he had helped Qohor’s upper class to circumvent Mother Valyria’s many rules. But when he had heard his cargo would have been Aurion Varezys and his thirty thousand strong host, he had thought the Magister had gone mad. He could understand the man being fearful of Volantis’s new dreams of building an Empire, but could not see the benefit in allowing lord Aurion to forge his. After all, the Volantene had but gold and mercenaries. Emperor Varezys fought had fire and blood. The blood of dragons, if one was to believe the tales about the ancient Valyrians. Yet he was not one to refuse good coin, and had at first hoped to jump ship before they actually reached the Peninsula. Now he was having second thoughts.


“Hey!” Izem waved at the barkeep. “What happened to the Emperor servers? The wine is almost finished!”

Before the man could answer, a rough looking sailor slammed a fist on the bar, grabbing Izembaro by the shoulder: “Well lookie here lads! We gots ourselves a goat shagger!”

Izem shrugged off the sailor’s grasp, turning back to the barkeep.

“Oy, goat shagger! I’m not finished witcha!” the sailor’s breath stank of liquor.

“That’ll be Captain, not goat shagger.” Izembaro growled. “And I’m finished with you.”

“Ooooh, a captain!” the sailor ignored his friends trying to take him away. “So that’s captain goat shagger!”

“No, that’s captain Izembaro!” another sailor pushed his friend aside to get a better look at Izem. “Well, well, who would have guessed! And what are you here for, captain? Browsing the serving boys?”

The sailors cackled. “I’m here for business.” Izem sighed, trying his best to ignore them.

“Business? What business ya pirate?” the first sailor came up to Izem’s face again. “Got tired of shagging goats and thought you would come to our decent city and see if there were any young men for sale?”

His friends had another laugh.


“The kind of business that makes a lord out of a sailor.” came a powerful voice from behind them. “The kind of business scum like you will never see.”

Dressed in black from head to heel, a golden cloak emblazoned with the Varezys family crest hanging from his shoulder, Emperor Aurion was an intimidating sight when he frowned. And he was frowning. The first sailor would have surely answered, completely oblivious to the situation he was digging himself into, but his less inebriated friends decided it would be wise to drag him away, having understood Izem was not as easy a prey for their bullying as they had imagined.


“Now then, captain.” the Emperor turned to Izembaro as soon as he had made sure the sailors had left the tavern. “I trust those men did not bother you too much?”

“Not at all, Your Magnificence.” Izem answered, then added: “But thank you.”

“Think nothing of it, captain. You are one of my men. Any disrespect they show you, they are also showing me. Were I a better mood, I’d have seen them fed to Elenixes. But I have other things on my mind…”

“My lord?” Izem was now wondering whether the Emperor had willingly separated him from the rest of the party to speak with him in private.

“Some of the brave souls that had sworn to fight at my side in Qohor have turned out to be… not so brave” Emperor Aurion grimaced. “With the fires of Valyria now visible on the horizon, a good many men have decided they would rather remain in Volantis than sail with me.”

“They have left?” Izem was not really that surprised. He himself was not really looking forward to the voyage himself.

“Yes. And I cannot really blame them. Not all men are made of the same stuff. I might be a dragon, and they are sheep. It is the way of the world.” the Valyrian shook his head. “Nor will I blame you if you decide to follow their example.”


The captain looked the Emperor in the eyes. Those deep, purple, authoritative eyes. The dragonlord was giving him a chance to run away. To go back to Qohor and to his old life. A life free of dragons, ruined peninsulas and mad expeditions. A life as an outlaw, striving to make a living in any way he could. And now there was not Valyria to smuggle glass and steel out of.

The kind of business that makes a lord out of a sailor. He pondered Emperor Aurion’s words. He could not be certain he had meant them, but lord did not sound that bad.


“Of course not, Emperor Varezys.” Izem smiled. “I am your man, forever faithful!”

The dragonlord smiled back, never having truly doubted his captain.

​

 

[stnylan]

I like that we are getting these perspectives of Aurion rather than getting things from his point of view.

 

[Eludio]

I like that we are getting these perspectives of Aurion rather than getting things from his point of view.

I must say, I'm having quite a bit of fun with them myself. I feel it gives Aurion a bit of a mythical aura. He is a hero, not a man, and we are not privy to his thoughts.

Plus, it does allow me to leave out whether his decision to head into doomed Valyria was a pondered one or just a fit of madness from a man that had just lost everything.

 

[The Number 9]

Great writing so far.
I'm eager to see more of Aurion's journey.

 

[Specialist290]

Izembaro has fallen under Aurion's sway. Let's hope that that doesn't lead to his own sticky end -- I rather like the good captain from the little we've seen of him.

 

[Captain Waffles]

Well, this was far from disappointing, interesting even. Although I ponder if there was strong, beautiful man in the Heart of Darkness. Maybe there was.

 

[Eludio]

Great writing so far.
I'm eager to see more of Aurion's journey.

Thank you! Happy to have piqued your interest!

Izembaro has fallen under Aurion's sway. Let's hope that that doesn't lead to his own sticky end -- I rather like the good captain from the little we've seen of him.

Poor Izem has indeed fallen for Aurion's magnetic personality. There is a bit of Jon Conninton in him I guess ahahah

Glad you like him though. I'd like to make him one of the main POV characters, but we'll see what the game thinks about that.

Well, this was far from disappointing, interesting even. Although I ponder if there was strong, beautiful man in the Heart of Darkness. Maybe there was.

You could argue Izem's traits would not make for a bad Marlow. Although would that make Aurion Kurtz? As soon as he starts putting the heads of stone men on spikes we'll be certain!