Aegon Targaryen

Aegon Targaryen was the Prince Protector of Lys, reigning from 158 to 199 AC.

Aegon the Godswrath, as he came to be known, formed an Andal court, and installed Andal culture within his holdings of Lys and Tyrosh. He also established the New Exceptionalism religion. Just before his death, he managed to conquer Myr, and crown himself the King of the Triarchy.

## Appearance and Character

Aegon Targaryen was well-built, possessing great strength and toughness from his days of training with the sword. Occasionally, his appearance is compared to Maegor the Cruel, though the Prince Protector himself had much softer features that struck those around him as more handsome than the infamous monarch of the Seven Kingdoms.

Aegon had a short temper, but he was not a rash man. His clever reformations and ambitious scheming are reflective of his intelligence.

## History

Aegon, undoubtedly, was not his father. Those who knew their history would say he was much more alike to his uncle, Aemond. Having been raised merely on stories of the Seven Kingdoms, it had been the Targaryen's dream, since childhood, to rule over a Realm he had never even set foot on. Such reminiscence led to his fervent commitment to prepare Lys and Tyrosh for conquest. For the next three years, the Prince Protector honed his body relentlessly in the training yard with the Valyrian Steel blade known as Truth. He drilled the soldiers under him, secured additional contracts from several mercenary companies, and did little to conceal his intent for war. Jacaerys and his Court were not blind to this.

The conflict known as Aegon's Invasion resulted in the death of Morning and he rider, Rhaena, alongside the integration of Dorne into the Seven Kingdoms, and a white peace for the Prince Progector.

Aegon had much and more to think about during the peace. He had come to several important realisations. First of them being a reformation of his military forces. As could be seen, sellswords did not prove reliable combatants in the war. Half the time they routed, the other half they didn't do so because they feared the dragon's wrath. This would not do. The Westerosi had their puissant knights clad in steel, who fought to the bitter end for their honour and the Gods. Meanwhile, his own men were swayed only by gold or fear. The second realisation was Braavos. So long as the Titan stood tall, the Prince Protector would never breathe easy. They had shown time and again that they would intervene against the interests of House Targaryen. Action would need to be taken, and for that, they would have to prepare. They would have to repair their broken fleet, restrengthen their armies. The next few decades were spent with Aegon gaining the attention of Westerosi exiles and disgruntled knights, restoring his navy, and restructuring his military. Many such exiles from the West helped form the bulk of Aegon's now Andal court. With the proficiency and experience of these knights, he instilled new purpose and ideas in his demesne. Several Westerosi cultures began to develop and thrive, among them, surprisingly, the chivalric concept of tourneys. The first recorded instance began from 181 AC, when Lys held its first tournament according to Andal customs, encompassing the traditional melee, joust, and archery. Since then, such events became more frequent. Another important development was the Andalisation of his military. The use of mercenaries slowly diminished (though not completely eradicated), as Aegon began to employ House Guard, and train soldiers dedicated not to gold, but to his cause. Near the end of his reign, knights, indistinguishable from their Westerosi counterparts, mounted and all, were a common sight in his armies.

This was not all: the Free Cities under Aegon's rule still relied on slavery as the driving force behind their economy. To justify their use, the Godswrath decided to create a new religious tradition that blended the Faith of the Seven and local religious beliefs. Aegon brought many Septons to Lys and they formed a new syncretic dogma, a second form of Exceptionalism Doctrine that was called the Syncretic Doctrine.

One of the prime parts of the doctrine was to give a religious legitimacy to the institution of slavery to his new Andal court. Expounding on the theory that Targaryens were made differently by the gods, the New Exceptionalism as it was called, stated that House Targaryen was permitted to hold slaves due to their exalted nature above other people's. Much like all were ultimately the slaves of the Seven in life, the specially created Valyrians were permitted to hold slaves as well.

Secondly, the Syncretic Doctrine allowed the adopting of many other deities into the faith as lesser spirits and Gods, created by the Seven that are One. Some goddesses like the Weeping Lady of Lys and Pantera were worshipped almost alongside the Seven in status. Various exiled nobles took up these different cults as their own to patronize. House Targaryen itself even introduced the old valyrian god Balerion as a patron, created by the aspect of the Warrior and Father, now serving as the cult of the rulers of the Triarchy, though many other scions took up other lesser patrons.

This New Exceptionalism, or Triarchist  Faith of the Seven, was met with heavy criticism by Westeros as a disgusting heresy that worshipped other, false gods. But for Aegon it was necessary. The New Exceptionalism allowed him to realistically institute Andal tradition and culture at court while maintaining and aggrandising the local cults in Essos that a majority of his people worshipped.

In 199 AC, Aegon launched his final campaign, the Godswrath's Fury. He easily dealt with the forces of Myr and brought it to heel, adding another title to his existing one: the King of the Triarchy. Then, he shifted his focus to Braavos. The last battle proved disastrous for the latter: although the mighty Braavosi armada managed to severely wound Tessarion with intense scorpionfire, the enraged dragon wreaked unimaginable havoc and carnage on the foolishly celebrating vessels. The majority of the Sealord's navy was demolished, in the most destructive battle for Braavos by far. The Free City was once more thrown into disarray and infighting, in no capacity to threaten the Triarchy for a long time. Aegon and his dying dragon barely made it home, and when the King himself set foot into his palace, his voice was thickened by the blood stirring in his mouth. The Godswrath had been riddled with crossbow bolts - they'd shot him during one of Tessarion's berserk, charging descents. While the King of the West left words of wisdom to his heir on his deathbed, Aegon expired in a flurry of slurred and vile curses, collapsing in his own hall from his wounds.