Look, let us be honest—the chronicles in Game of Thrones: Kingsroad do not merely map the journey of the central protagonist; they meticulously log the earth-shattering events sweeping across the entirety of Westeros in chronological order. As players push through the main campaign, these records offer a sharply contextualised view of how the geopolitical landscape shifts in real time.

Game of Thrones: Kingsroad patched in a series of watershed moments that permanently altered the history of the Seven Kingdoms on September 30. Naturally, KookminTree has neatly catalogued the prelude and aftermath of these newly reinforced core events for your viewing pleasure.

The Death of King Robert

Roughly a decade before the main events of the source material kicked off, a seismic regime change replaced the Targaryen dynasty with the House of Baratheon. Depending on who you ask, this uprising is colloquially dubbed 'Robert's Rebellion', and the man at the very centre of it is Robert Baratheon (hereafter Robert).

※ [Storyboard] The Stage of Game of Thrones: Kingsroad: Westeros [Link]

Robert Baratheon was a magnificent brawler, but an absolute disaster as a monarch. Stressed to his absolute limits by the Iron Throne he never really wanted, and haunted by the loss of his betrothed, Lyanna Stark, who died near the end of the rebellion, Robert drowned his sorrows in endless booze and feasts. By his twilight years, he had grown so corpulent that his armour barely fit. Even Sansa Stark, who was once slated to become a daughter-in-law, bluntly dubbed Robert a 'fat, drunken old king'.

Unsurprisingly, Robert's pathetic demise stemmed directly from this severe drinking problem. During a boar-hunting excursion, Robert got roaring drunk on strong wine pushed by a squire, ultimately suffering a fatal goring from a wild boar's tusks.

This tragedy was no mere accident, mind you, but a meticulously calculated assassination. Queen Cersei Lannister (hereafter Cersei) had swapped Robert's usual drink for something far stronger and manipulated the squire into serving cup after cup. With the explosive secret that her three children—including Joffrey Baratheon—were not Robert's trueblood heirs on the verge of spilling out, Cersei executed the plot in a rush.

Robert's abrupt exit created a catastrophic power vacuum across the Seven Kingdoms, plunging the entire continent of Westeros right back into the bloody crucible of war. This very tragedy ignited the conflict universally known as the 'War of the Five Kings', which forms the beating heart of the original television series.

As a cheeky aside, while the television show only ever portrays Robert as a ruined, gluttonous husk of a king, the man was once renowned as the finest warrior and looker of his generation during his youth. Even Cersei, notoriously picky when it came to men, openly admitted to being genuinely captivated by Robert's striking looks upon their first meeting. If you ever wonder what a young Robert looked like, just look at his younger brother, Renly Baratheon (hereafter Renly). Contemporaries throughout the lore frequently swear that Renly is the absolute spitting image of Robert in the prime of his youth.

The Assassination of Renly Baratheon

During the War of the Five Kings, Renly's claim to legitimacy and the royal succession was shaky at best. Even if Joffrey and Cersei's other offspring were mere bastards born of incest, the undisputed first in line for the crown was older brother Stannis Baratheon (hereafter Stannis). Yet, despite this legal hurdle, a massive chunk of the stormlands' nobility and countless lords rallied fiercely behind Renly's banners instead. Renly managed to capture hearts effortlessly, thanks to his dashing looks reminiscent of a young Robert, peerless social grace, and polished manners.

Unlike his battle-hardened brothers, Renly lacked actual frontline military experience, leaving a glaring hole in tactical prowess. However, Renly made up for it with sheer political cunning and sharp diplomatic vision, engineering a strategic marriage alliance with the Tyrells of Highgarden—the wealthiest and most agriculturally fertile power in the Seven Kingdoms. Rallying such a staggering host at the dawn of the war was undeniably a testament to Renly's political acumen.

Contrary to widespread expectations that Renly's overwhelming military might would swiftly sweep the War of the Five Kings, Renly met a desperately anticlimactic end, being suddenly murdered inside the royal tent.

Brienne of Tarth, who was busy strapping on Renly's armour at the exact moment of the incident, instantly became a hunted fugitive, while Renly's colossal army fractured and was largely absorbed into Stannis's forces. But the shadowy killer that stained the tent floor with blood was no ordinary human. It was a grotesque shadow monster conjured through dark sorcery by Melisandre, the red priestess serving Stannis's camp. According to accounts preserved in-game, the perimeter guards never even noticed a breach, and not a single sound of clashing steel was ever heard.

As a side note, the source material depicts Renly as a man who fancies other men, famously sharing an intimate bond with Loras Tyrell, the 'Knight of Flowers', a nuance subtly referenced in the game's collectible lore.

The Death of the Viper

The demise of the Red Viper, Oberyn Martell (hereafter Oberyn), left a comparatively smaller ripple across the continent than the previous two debacles. Even so, the visual shock it delivered to viewers of the series remains unmatched. His brutal finale during a trial by combat against Gregor Clegane, the Mountain, stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the 'Red Wedding' as one of the most stomach-churning scenes in television history.

Oberyn was the quintessential scholar-warrior. Aside from wielding a deadlier spear style than almost anyone else alive on the continent, Oberyn spent time studying at the Citadel, the towering bastion of knowledge, nearly earning a full chain as a maester. Unfortunately, Oberyn's blindingly hotheaded and combative temper often overshadowed these brilliant talents, feeding an endless cycle of gossip and notoriety.

When Oberyn volunteered to step up as the champion for Tyrion Lannister (hereafter Tyrion) in his trial by combat, a deeply personal and festering hatred drove the decision. Oberyn knew full well that Gregor Clegane (hereafter the Mountain) would step out as the royal champion. After all, the Mountain had brutally murdered Oberyn's beloved older sister, Elia Martell, and her young children during Robert's Rebellion. Naturally, Oberyn felt zero inclination to pass up the duel.

Contrary to Oberyn's overconfident calculations, however, the trial by combat concluded in absolute carnage. The early momentum belonged entirely to Oberyn, who completely humiliated the Mountain's heavy greatsword with acrobatic and erratic spearwork. The in-game document titled 'A Song of Dorne: The Red Viper' notes how the Red Viper danced across the sands, his spear biting into the Mountain.

Having practically secured total victory, Oberyn threw it all away by refusing to finish off the fallen Mountain, instead demanding a screaming confession for the murder of the sister and nephew. That single lapse in judgment proved fatal. Sweeping Oberyn's legs out from under him, the Mountain smashed a heavy fist directly into Oberyn's face and caved the skull in with a raw thumb press. The television adaptation showcased this gruesome spectacle unfiltered, delivering a level of trauma that even surpassed the original novels. One of the execution animations for mercenaries in-game was directly inspired by this very moment.

Thus, while Oberyn perished, the Mountain could not escape total ruin either. Before stepping into the arena, Oberyn had smeared the tip of the spear with deadly manticore venom. Pierced repeatedly throughout the duel, the Mountain ultimately suffered a slow, excruciating death despite winning the bout. It was a fittingly grim conclusion proving that the Red Viper managed to drag his killer straight to hell from beyond the grave.

As a final tidbit, Oberyn was an unrepentant hedonist who fathered eight bastard daughters. True to a fierce sense of paternal affection and responsibility, Oberyn ensured every single one of them received rigorous training in combat and the liberal arts—an entirely unprecedented attitude toward bastards within Westerosi society. These daughters are universally feared across the realm as the 'Sand Snakes'. Players running quests through the region of Dorne will eventually cross paths with Nymeria Sand, Oberyn's second daughter and the Second Sand Snake.