Date: 102 BC

In a single day and night, the Valyrian peninsula was consumed by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and great fires from beneath the earth. Mountains split apart, the sea boiled, and entire cities were swallowed or burned, erasing the heart of the Freehold almost instantly. Valyria itself was utterly destroyed, along with the vast majority of its dragonlords, their dragons, and the ancient institutions that bound the empire together. The land was left broken and poisoned, becoming what is now known as the Smoking Sea. Those who later dared sail its waters reported unnatural storms, warped creatures, and lingering horrors, leading most civilizations to abandon the region entirely. With the fall of Valyria, its far-flung colonies and subject territories were suddenly cut off from central authority. The Freehold collapsed overnight, and its former holdings fragmented into independent states, giving rise to the Free Cities of Essos. Valyrian power, once unchallenged, vanished almost completely, and much of its knowledge of sorcery, dragonbinding, and advanced crafts was lost forever. Only one noble house of dragonlords survived the Doom intact: House Targaryen, who had removed themselves to Dragonstone years earlier. In the centuries that followed, their survival would reshape the history of Westeros, but Valyria itself was never reclaimed. To this day, the true cause of the Doom remains unknown, spoken of only in whispers as a warning against the hubris of empire and the dangers of powers meant to remain buried.