The year is 276 AL, the 14th year of the glorious reign of Aerys II Targaryen. The realm is at peace, the royal coffers are full, and the summer sun shines upon Westeros. The thirty-six year old king has produced an heir, Rhaegar, the Prince of Dragonstone, a thoughtful and promising young man, just begining to draw the eyes of the Seven Kingdoms. As the year opens, the king rides to Duskendale with a small honor guard to meet with the disgruntled Lord Denys Darklyn, leaving Tywin Lannister, the King’s Hand, to oversee affairs in King’s Landing.
In the the Mountains of the Moon, Lord Jon Arryn, Lord of the Eyrie and Defender of the Vale, has the honor of the service of two squires, Robert Baratheon, 16, the heir of Storm’s End, and Eddard Stark, 13, the second son of Lord Rickard Stark. Lord Arryn has been a popular and effective ruler since taking the mantle of lordship upon the passing of his father, but parts of the Mountains of the Moon are still wild, and even the civilized areas often defy tranquility.
To the Northwest of the Eyrie, in the Western Argent River Valley, the peace that blankets the realm seems distant. The mountain clans still raid, bandits plague the houses, and old rivalries begin to fray the tenuous peace. For even in times of prosperity, the wolves must hunt and Game of Thrones is played.
This is the chronicle of the members and retainers of House Thane, their trials, triumphs and failures as they seek their fortunes, from battle to tourney to court. Be it in glory or infamy, this is their story…