It’s difficult to delieve that creatures that are so universal in the history and cultures of our world could be purely myth. In Westeros, dragons are believed to be creatures of legend just as in our culture. However, unlike our world, the dragons of Westeros  had once existed, and have returned.

Most of Westeros’ animals are based on actual animals that actually existed. Aurochs, Lizard Lions, and Dire Wolves are all creatures that at some point existed but through hunting or natural selection died out. The jury is pretty convinced though that dragons, like those with our Khaleesi, never really existed.

The dragons of Westeros are similar to the descriptions of dragons we have from our own fables and legends.  The English word “dragon” derives from  the Greek dracon meaning  “serpent”.  There are numerous references to dragons in folklore including St. George and the Dragon, and the Old English epic poem Beowulf.

The dragons in European folklore lend themselves to the dragons of  Game of Thrones, as the Targaryen dragons conform to the common dragon archetype.

Dragons in Game of Thrones are native to Essos.  were they were “discovered”  five thousand years ago by the Valyrians in the Fourteen Fires. The Fourteen Fires were  a ring of volcanoes on the Valyrian Peninsula. The Valyrians used dragons as war mounts, and with their help crushed the Ghiscari Empire. The dragons were an important part of the Valyrian Empire’s warmachine until the Doom of Valyria. After the Doom  the only surviving dragons belonged to the Targaryens, on Dragonstone.

Aegon I used his dragons to conquer the continent of Westeros. The dragons were an important part of the Targaryen reigns of power, and for over the course of one hundred and fifty years dragons were the key to the Targayens hold on the Iron Throne.  These dragons went down in history. Balerion, Meraxes, and Vhagar changed warfare showing at Harrenhal and The Field of Fire that traditional tactics and defense were no match for dragons.

It is worth mentioning that many of the Targaryen dragons were used against each other in the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons. It was here that many dragons were slain fighting each other. Aside from the unnatural means of being killed, it is unknown how long the lifespan of a dragon is. That is because they are so difficult to kill.  Though brave knights had been known to kill dragons through tradition means. The Westerosi legend of Serwyn of mirror shield claimed that the titular hero hid behind his shield and speared a dragon through the eye after sneaking up on it. However this method had been tried by a real knight, and did not end well.

Over  the centuries, the Targaryen dragons died out. It is unknown why, but many of the dragons towards the end of their race were small and stunted. Some believe that his was partially due to the keeping of the dragons in the great Dragonpit in King’s Landing.It is believed that a dragon’s growth is directly related  to the size of its cage. It is speculated that the Order of Maesters were behind the decline of the dragons, but by what method and to what aim is unknown.

The last Dragon, a stunted small green one, gave birth to a clutch of 5 dragon eggs that never hatched. When this dragon died, the dragon race was considered extinct. Though there were several eggs remaining in the world, all attempts to hatch them had “ended in death, disaster, or disgrace”.

That is until Daenerys “Stormborn” Targaryen hatched three dragon eggs which were gifted to her. Her three dragons, Drogon, Viserion, and Rhaegal, have given the world an opportunity to once again examine the anatomy and physiology of the beasts.

Dragons are scaled, reptilian creatures, with two legs and two wings. In our own myths these dragons would be considered wyverns. The front wings act similarly to bats.  Offensively, they have sharp teeth and claws with the ability to breathe fire. Though they will eat any type of meat, dragons appear to benefit more from eating cooked meat.

When hatched, dragons are around the size of a cat. However if they are left to grow unimpeded, they are said to grow large enough to swallow a mammoth whole.

Internally Dragons have incredibly strong  black bones. This is said to be due to the level of iron in the bones. Because of this, dragon bone is used as a crafting material.

Finally there is said to be a connection with dragons to magic. The decline of the dragons and the decline of magic in the world seemed to be related. The return of Daenerys’ dragons has coincided with other magical happenings throughout Westeros and Essos. Whether this is caused by the dragons, or the dragons are a merely a piece of the greater mystery is still undecided.

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Read some other stuff from Joe, hear him on the Game Classy podcast, or follow him on Twitter @planetarbitrary

Game of Thrones:

Battles and Wars of Westeros

The War of Conquest                                    The Blackfyre Rebellion                   The Greyjoy Rebellion

Robert’s Rebellion Pt.1,                              Robert’s Rebellion Pt.2                     Robert’s Rebellion Pt. 3

The Reynes of Castamere

The People and Places of Westeros

The Religions of Westeros                         The Races of Westeros                       Tyrion and Richard

The Targaryen Curse                                  How to Become a Knight                    Slaver’s Bay

Game of Thrones (TV and other Media)

Casting Roundup 1 and 2                             Inn at the Crossroads Interview

Game of Thrones Primer I                           Season 1 recap

Game of Thrones Primer II                         Game of Throne Boardgames

S1E1, S1E2, S1E3, S1E4, S1E5, S1E6, S1E7, S1E8, S1E9, S1E10

S2E1, S2E2, S2E3, S2E4, S2E5, S2E6, S2E7, S2E8, S2E9, S2E10

Read Joe’s other articles:

Doctor Who: Doctor Who Season 6 Round Up, An Alternate History of the Doctor,  Doctor Who Season 6 primer, Psychology, and Regeneration, The Pitfalls of Paradoxical Storytelling, The Missing Episodes

Star Trek: Evening the Odds,  Star Trek Blu-rays 1 and 2,  Trek in your Queue 1 and 2, Obama Trek,  Star Trek: A Different Generation, Failed Star Trek Spinoffs

Misc: Sci-Fi Composers,  Thieving Sci-Fi, Paranormal Activi3, The Walking Dead Primer, The Genre Problem, Conan Primer, Mutant Fatigue, Sci-Fi A-Team, A Love Letter to Natalie Portman,  Thor Primer

The one where we talk about a prisoner upset he cant’ have a PlayStation 3, the impending Xbox Whatever announcement, Ouya being delayed, Neo Geo X news, Pat wants a Vita now, Pat getting into it with CNN, this week’s Pat’s Retro Review, and more. Enjoy!

Now with new Theme Song!!!! This week Joe fights a cold, and Steve fights the man. Our boys talk about new D&D stuff, Battlefront taking over Dust tactics, and about entering into the DEADZONE!!! All this and Pat B. gives some his thoughts about Adepticon.

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Daenerys Stormborm was reborn as she burned along with her beloved Drogo. She gathered what was left of her khalasar and, after Qarth, traveled to Slaver’s Bay to acquire a new army. Slaver’s Bay is a daunting area to navigate as a reader, as the names are unlike anything on Westeros, and the culture is as unique as the terrifying harpy that adorns their flags. Filled with step pyramids like the ziggurats of Babylon and massive slave markets, the cities of Slaver’s Bay are wholly new to us.

In Essos, Slaver’s Bay is more than just a body of water, in fact it’s a geographical region built from the ashes of the ancient Ghiscari Empire.

Just as the nine free cities formed from the fall of Valyria, the cities of Slaver’s bay formed from the fall of Ghis. Older than Valyria by thousands of years, the city was the center of a military, economic, and cultural powerhouse called the Ghiscari Empire. Representative of the empire was its architecture made up of massive brick towers and pyramids. Also symbolic of the Ghiscari was its massive supply of slaves and slave labor. Its symbol was the harpy, a fanged woman with leathery wings for arms, the legs of an eagle, and the tail of scorpion, clutching a thunderbolt in her talons.

The Ghiscari Empire eventually fell after warring with Valyria. Five thousand years ago Ghis lost a series of five wars, and despite its wealth legions of troops, Ghis could not stand against Valyria’s dragons. The Empire fell, and Ghis toppled into ruins

Out of the ruins, Astapor, Yunkai and Meereen, grew and established themselves as a hub of the global slave trade and became extremely wealthy. These cities became the place where the Dothraki and Pirates of the seas would sell their slaves. The slavers of Astapor, Yunkai and Meereen called themselves as the Good, Wise and Great Masters respectively. Though as the wealth of the slave traders grew, the cities reliance on slaves also grew, and soon, all of the economy and military was based on slavery. The cities shared a peaceful rivalry, avoiding war at all costs, and preferring to pay the khalasars of Dothraki that passed by instead of fighting them. The military of the cities were led by ineffectual commanders whose ability were never tested. The  cities’ professional armies were filled with wealthy sons of slavers wearing colorful cloth armor and having their hair teased into large outlandish shapes. the cities rely heavily on slave soldiers and mercenary companies for their protection. While most slave soldiers were relatively poor and untrained, the eunuch Unsullied soldiers of Astapor have a well-earned reputation for effectiveness.

The harpy remained the symbol of the region, but the ancient language of Ghis became replaced by High Valyrian, though it was tinged with the accents of the region.

The cities of Slaver’s Bay are relatively similar, but there are some differences worth noting.

Astapor is renowned for the special slaves that it produces, called the Unsullied. Astapor was famed as the only place in the world that the Unsullied can be purchased. These slave soldiers commanded a huge investment and earned the most profitable of returns for the Good Masters. Unsullied are all former male slaves chosen young, for their size, speed and strength. Their training starts at age 5 and is from dawn to dusk. It is brutal, designed not only to teach them how to fight, but to strip away all individuality, empathy, and self-worth. Only one in three survive, and those that fail at any stage are killed. They are fully castrated – penis and testicles cut – and their manhoods burned at the altar of the Lady of Spears.

They regularly consume an elixir called the Wine of Courage to deaden their sensitivity to pain. They drink it with every meal. Every day they choose new names at random by drawing tokens from a bucket, each consisting of a color and a type of vermin. Only a third of the slaves to enter training survive to become Unsullied. When one of the initiates is cut, he is given a puppy to take care of. At the end of the first year, the boy is made to strangle the puppy, and if he fail to do so, he is killed and fed to the surviving dogs. Finally to become an unsullied they must take a silver coin, go to the slave markets and buy a newborn slave child, and kill it before its mother. The coin pays the slave’s owner for his loss.

Yunkai, dubbed the Yellow City, is a city on the eastern coast of Slaver’s Bay.  Just as Astapor is filled with Red Brick, Yunkai’s are yellow. Yunkai can field an army of roughly five thousand men, all slaves. The smallest of the three cities, Yunkai was known for both its fighting pits and its pleasure houses. The city is very similar to Astapor in architecture except for its smaller size. The slavers of Yunkai were known as the Wise Masters.

Meereen is the northernmost and the largest of the three great slaver cities of Slaver’s Bay. It is ruled by the Great Masters. Meereen lies on the northeast coast of Slaver’s Bay at the mouth of the Skahazadhan, where it flows from its origins in Lhazar through the range of sandstone mountains separating Meereen and the rest of Slaver’s Bay from the Red Waste.

Copper is plentiful in the Ghiscari hills, but the metal is not as valuable as slaves. Cedars once grew tall along the coast but they  were felled by the axes of the Old Empire or consumed by dragonfire when Ghis made war against Valyria. Once the trees had gone, the soil baked beneath the hot sun and blew away in thick red clouds. It was these calamities that transformed the Meerinese people into slavers. Without slaves Meereen has little to offer. Meereen is as large as Astapor and Yunkai combined, and like them it is made of bricks, though theirs is many colored. The city is dominated by a monstrous pyramid, called the Great Pyramid.

Thus we have the cities of Slaver’s Bay. Judging by Daenerys’ actions at Astapor, the future of these cities are intertwined with our stories future as well.

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Read some other stuff from Joe, hear him on the Game Classy podcast, or follow him on Twitter @planetarbitrary

Game of Thrones:

Battles and Wars of Westeros

The War of Conquest                                    The Blackfyre Rebellion                   The Greyjoy Rebellion

Robert’s Rebellion Pt.1,                              Robert’s Rebellion Pt.2                     Robert’s Rebellion Pt. 3

The Reynes of Castamere

The People and Places of Westeros

The Religions of Westeros                         The Races of Westeros                       Tyrion and Richard

The Targaryen Curse                                  How to Become a Knight

Game of Thrones (TV and other Media)

Casting Roundup 1 and 2                             Inn at the Crossroads Interview

Game of Thrones Primer I                           Season 1 recap

Game of Thrones Primer II                         Game of Throne Boardgames

S1E1, S1E2, S1E3, S1E4, S1E5, S1E6, S1E7, S1E8, S1E9, S1E10

S2E1, S2E2, S2E3, S2E4, S2E5, S2E6, S2E7, S2E8, S2E9, S2E10

Read Joe’s other articles:

Doctor Who: Doctor Who Season 6 Round Up, An Alternate History of the Doctor,  Doctor Who Season 6 primer, Psychology, and Regeneration, The Pitfalls of Paradoxical Storytelling, The Missing Episodes

Star Trek: Evening the Odds,  Star Trek Blu-rays 1 and 2,  Trek in your Queue 1 and 2, Obama Trek,  Star Trek: A Different Generation, Failed Star Trek Spinoffs

Misc: Sci-Fi Composers,  Thieving Sci-Fi, Paranormal Activi3, The Walking Dead Primer, The Genre Problem, Conan Primer, Mutant Fatigue, Sci-Fi A-Team, A Love Letter to Natalie Portman,  Thor Primer

Hello Everyone!
Well, here we are, the 100th retro video game review. Now, I don’t want to spend the whole review getting all sappy reminiscing about reviews gone by but, I do want to take a moment to thank all of you guys, and by guys, I mean that one guy that commented on one of my reviews that one time, thanks for that, it meant a lot, and to the rest of ya for sticking with me for the past two years. I’ve had a blast writing these reviews and I hope all of you have enjoyed reading them just as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them. So, with that being said, on with the review.
 
To celebrate this special moment in “Pat’s Retro Video Game Reviews” history, I’ve decided to go back to where it all started, Raiden. No, I’m not going to review Raiden again but, I am going to review Raiden III because, well, I have a beef with the Raiden series. In my review of the original Raiden, I talked about how it’s ridiculously difficult and how it made me feel bad at video games, that’s how hard the game is. After that review, I always wondered if being on an older generation game console contributed to the original Raiden’s difficulty and if the later Raiden releases were a bit more forgiving since they appeared on newer game consoles like the PS2. Turns out they’re just as fucking difficult so get your lube out because Raiden III is about to have it’s way with you and it likes it rough and deep.
 

Raiden III – Arcade, Playstation 2, and PC

Yeah, I’m gonna say that Raiden III was a high point for UFO Interactive.

This is Raiden DX. Play this if you truly want to feel horrible at video games.

Before I go any further though, I have to mention that this game goes beyond using it’s difficulty to destroy players, it also uses psychological warfare. When you first boot this game up, it does a memory card check. During this check, if no game data is detected, the game will ask if you would like to create a new save file. Now, when I normally want to select “yes” in a video game for any question I instinctively push the button that is traditionally assigned to the video game “yes” response. We all know them, the “A” button or the “X” button. These two buttons are usually the ones that your thumb naturally rests on or nearest to when playing a game.
 

“A” and “X” just make sense.

PRESS THE “O” BUTTON! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD PRESS “O”!

Yup, you’re stuck. Time to use a bomb.

Here you can see how Ikaruga looks when you rotate the display and set your monitor on it’s side.

You can contact him directly via Email at pat@planetarbitrary.com
 
Check out past “Pat’s Retro Video Game Reviews” here.

In Westeros,much like our own history, knighthood was more of an idea than a reality. Yes knights existed, but the idea of a true knight was more something to aspire to than actually achieve. Lots of people called themselves knights, but few lived up to the name and title of “Ser”.

Battles of Westeros by Tomasz Jedruszek

In our world, knights are given the title “sir”, a bastardization of the word sire. A knight in Westeros was expected to follow a code not unlike our own knight’s code of chivalry. Knights in The Seven Kingdoms were expected to be brave and just, defend the young and innocent, act cleanly as well as godly, and act with military courtesy. This was not always the case.

In fact anyone in Westeros could become a knight, and often did. From baseborn to bastards, anyone could be made a knight as long as they were knighted by one who was a knight. Westeros was a traditional feudalistic society, and in such a society, upward mobility was almost nonexistent outside of the merchant class. Knighthood was a way for people born in the lower classes to actually improve their situation and gain wealth , land, and title. The Cleganes are a good example of this, as the founder of  the house was originally a kennelmaster for Tytos Lannister, Tywin’s father. Tytos was saved from a lioness by Clegane’s dogs and was granted a knighthood and land for this. Sandor never was anointed, and thus was never a knight, but Gregor was a knight, and one could argue his crimes were far worse than anything his brother did.

Hedge Knight

Just as anyone could become a knight, there were many different types of knights they could become. For example, there were hedge knights, a knight without a master. Like ronin in Japanese society. These masterless knights would travel from master to master plying their arms for food, shelter, and a bit of coin. Unfortunately when the coin ran out many of these most hedge knights put their arms to use by resorting to banditry. Being a hedge knight though did not mean the knight could be any less devout to their code. Ser Dunk the Tall is often considered a pinnacle of knighthood, so much so that he was allowed to have a Targaryen prince as his squire.

Ronin

The opposite of a hedge knight was a landed knight, who has his own keep and land. They act like an overseer with their own peasants and men-at-arms, and may even take on hedge knights as sworn swords. Landed knights are sworn to fight for the lord who holds dominion over their land, and must respond if called into battle. The more important a landed knight was the more land and vassals he himself would have and be responsible for.

In order to become a knight, one would have to go through being a squire first.  Squires are boys who are seeking the path to knighthood. It is at this stage that they  learn to properly care for and use of weapons, armor, and horses. It is here they are supposed to learn about Chivalry. When they graduate from this stage, they become knighted by someone who is already a knight.

It is important to note that knighthood in the Seven Kingdoms had a religious component as well as the martial component. Knighthood was tied to the faith of the seven which the Andals brought over with them  from Essos during their invasion. During the knighting ceremony the person who is knighting taps his sword on the shoulders of the squire and recites a prayer. This is all that is required, however more elaborate ceremonies involve sleeping in septs at the feet of the alter of the warrior, or being anointed with blessed oils. Since Northerners do not often worship the Seven, they rarely become knights, instead they are called simply heavy Cavalrymen.  This does not excuse them from acting with the same ideals expected of a knight. Knights were expected to protect and spread the Faith of the Seven like the Knights of our Middle Ages

Very few actually reach the pinnacle of knighthood, and you will often hear references to someone not being a “true knight”. In fact the ideal knight as described by most in Westeros is Ser Barristan Selmy. However, even he was unable to fulfill his vows, and is considered a traitor by some.

In the end, knighthood is fickle. On one hand you are supposed to follow a code of virtuousness, and on the other you are supposed to follow orders which may contradict your code. This leaves knighthood a bitter taste in many noble mouths.

Game of Thrones:

Battles and Wars of Westeros

The War of Conquest                                    The Blackfyre Rebellion                   The Greyjoy Rebellion

Robert’s Rebellion Pt.1,                              Robert’s Rebellion Pt.2                     Robert’s Rebellion Pt. 3

The Reynes of Castamere

The People and Places of Westeros

The Religions of Westeros                         The Races of Westeros                       Tyrion and Richard

The Targaryen Curse

Game of Thrones (TV and other Media)

Casting Roundup 1 and 2                             Inn at the Crossroads Interview

Game of Thrones Primer I                           Season 1 recap

Game of Thrones Primer II                         Game of Throne Boardgames

S1E1, S1E2, S1E3, S1E4, S1E5, S1E6, S1E7, S1E8, S1E9, S1E10

S2E1, S2E2, S2E3, S2E4, S2E5, S2E6, S2E7, S2E8, S2E9, S2E10

Read Joe’s other articles:

Doctor Who: Doctor Who Season 6 Round Up, An Alternate History of the Doctor,  Doctor Who Season 6 primer, Psychology, and Regeneration, The Pitfalls of Paradoxical Storytelling, The Missing Episodes

Star Trek: Evening the Odds,  Star Trek Blu-rays 1 and 2,  Trek in your Queue 1 and 2, Obama Trek,  Star Trek: A Different Generation, Failed Star Trek Spinoffs

Misc: Sci-Fi Composers,  Thieving Sci-Fi, Paranormal Activi3, The Walking Dead Primer, The Genre Problem, Conan Primer, Mutant Fatigue, Sci-Fi A-Team, A Love Letter to Natalie Portman,  Thor Primer

Planet Arbitrary photographers Annie and Doug chased down as much cosplay that they could possibly find during C2E2 2013. This is the kind of creativity and geek-passion that we are proud to support Check out the photos, and let us know your favorites!

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The one where we talk about C2E2 2013 where we interviewed the wonderful Bruce Boxleitner and the minds behind Lantern City, the May 21st Xbox 720 event, Nintendo’s refurbishment plan, Call of Duty: Ghosts, and this week’s Pat’s Retro Review. Enjoy!