COVER STORY

All men must die

  • Fire, force: One of the three dragons on the show.
  • Jaime Lannister, one of the best warriors in Westeros.

The setting is a medieval world. Two continents, seven kingdoms and one Iron Throne. There are dragons, dire wolves, black magic, heavy weaponry, manic violence, a lot of sex and a variety of scheming folk. It is a fantasy tale that finds resonance in other popular stories; some have compared it with Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings, even. What sets apart this tale, however, is the moral grey area it inhabits. No simple good versus evil story, this.

There are several warring families vying for the Iron Throne. The main houses are Stark, Lannister, Targaryen and Baratheon. To simplify things, let’s break the tale into three parts.

49-Iron-Throne

KING’S LANDING

At the beginning of season one, a Baratheon rules the Seven Kingdoms. He is soon killed (gored by a boar) and his son takes over. Throughout the course of six seasons, King’s Landing, the capital, sees several inter-family feuds for power. Kings come and go, and several vital characters lose their lives. Cersei Lannister is currently the queen; there is no king.

DAENERYS

In Essos, a continent to the east, Daenerys Targaryen (daughter of a previous king) plots her return to the throne. She soon amasses an army, along with three dragons, and, at the end of season six, sets sail for Westeros.

THE WALL

In the North is the Wall, built to keep out White Walkers, who are humanoid ice creatures. Beyond the Wall is inhabitable ice land. The White Walkers slowly and steadily build an army of the dead and plan to attack Westeros. At the end of season six, only one major character has encountered them.

The culmination would see all of these separate stories come together. Then, perhaps, Westeros will have a long, peaceful rule.

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