History of the Seven Kingdoms
About the year 205, old Lord Dondarrion and Lord Caron burned out the Vulture King (who may have been a Blackmont) out of the Red Mountains. There were some eight hundred knights and nearly four thousand foot with them
The roads during King Aerys I's reign were not so safe as they were under his father, Daeron the Good
Roughly around 210, House Stark was in a difficult situation, with the current lord of the house slowly succumbing to wounds he received fighting the ironborn. Lady Stark and four Stark widows struggled over who would succeed him. There were a number of potential heirs, with some ten Stark children about
The Wars of Conquest
Aegon Targaryen and his sisters Visenya and Rhaenys unleashed three dragons on the seven kingdoms of old
The King Loren of the Rock and King Mern of the Reach joined together to throw out the Targaryen invaders. They flew six hundred banners with five thousand mounted knights and ten times that in freeriders and men-at-arms
The Targaryens had perhaps an army the fifth the size of that of the Two Kings, or so chroniclers say, and most of those were conscripts from the last king they had slain, loyalty unsure
The hosts met on the plains of the Reach amidst fields of wheat ripe for harvest. The charge of the Two Kings broke the Targaryen army, but Aegon and his sisters joined the battle with their dragons. It was the only time the three dragons were on the field of battle together
Nearly four thousand men burned on the Field of Fire, among them Mern of the Reach. It was later said that their swords melted in their hands
Loren of the Rock escaped and pledged his fealty
Aegon the Conqueror first landed and made a wood-and-earth fort at the site that would later become the royal seat King's Landing
When Aegon slew Black Harren, Harren's brother was Lord Commander of the Night's Watch and had 10,000 swords at his command - but he did not march
The last King of the North, who bent the knee to Aegon the Conqueror, was Torrhen Stark. He chose to swear fealty rather than give battle
Aegon the Conqueror granted the castle and lands of the old Storm Kings to one of his commanders, Orys, who was rumored to be his bastard brother. Orys slew the last Storm King, Argilac the Arrogant and married his daughter. Taking her with the castle and lands, he also took the words of the Storm Kings, but his last name was his own
During the Wars of Conquest, the riverlands belonged to Harren the Black, King of the Isles
Harren the Black was a vain and bloody tyrant, little loved. When Aegon the Conqueror threatened, many of his lords deserted him to join Aegon's host
Harren the Black and his line died in the burning of Harrenhal by Aegon the Conqueror
Aegon raised Lord Edmyn Tully to overlordship of the Trident, requiring all other lords to swear fealty to him
Harlen Tyrell, steward to King Mern, surrendered Highgarden to Aegon after the death of the king (who was last of his line.) Aegon granted him the castle and dominion over the Reach
Lord Vickon Greyjoy of Pyke was chosen by the surviving ironborn lords to have primacy over them after Aegon conquered them
Dorne was never conquered by Aegon the Conqueror
Torrhen Stark gave up his crown to Aegon the Conqueror when he bent the knee. What became of the crown afterwards is unknown
Harren the Black had taken up residence in the completed Harrenhal on the very day news reached him of the landing of Aegon the Conqueror
Aegon the Conqueror had knelt to pray in Dragonstone's sept the night before he sailed
There are claims that Harren the Black and his sons haunt the cellars of the Wailing Tower, even though they died in the Kingspyre Tower
It's said that Aegon the Conqueror received the submission of King Torrhen Stark on the south bank of the Red Fork in the riverlands, at the place where the river bends to flow southeastwards
Aegon the Conqueror had fewer than 1,600 men with him when he and his sisters set out to conqueor the Seven Kingdoms
Queen Visenya was sent by her brother Aegon to receive the homage of the lords of Crackclaw Point following the death of Harren the Black. They bent the knee to her without qualm, and in return she promised them that they would be direct vassals of the Targaryens
Aegon the Conqueror dated the beginning of his reign from the day the High Septon anointed him as king in Oldtown. Since then, it has been traditional for the High Septon to give their blessing to every king
When news arrived in Oldtown of the landing of Aegon and his sisters, the High Septon fasted and prayed for seven days and nights under the dome of the Starry Sept in Oldtown. He then announced that the Faith would take not oppose the Targaryens, because the Crone had shown him that to do so would mean the destruction of Oldtown in dragonflame. Lord Hightower, a pious man, kept his forces at Oldtown and would later freely open his gates to Aegon when he came to be anointed by the High Septon
There were Targaryens on Dragonstone for about two centuries after the Doom before invading Westeros
Dorne avoided being ruled by Aegon the Conqueror by refusing to assemble huge armies to be burned by dragons as happened to the army of the Two Kings, nor did they hide in their castles as Harren the Black and his sons did. They fled before the dragons instead and returned to harrass and murder when they could
The name of the Seven Kingdoms comes from the realms that existed at the time of the Conquest, being the kingdom of the North, the kingdom of the Rock, the kingdom of the Reach, the kingdom of Mountain and Vale, the realm of the Storm King, the kingdom of the Iron Islands and the Riverlands, and the kingdom of Dorne
The Dance of the Dragons
Brother fought sister during the Dance of the Dragons
Ser Erryk and Ser Arryk were twin brothers who served in the Kingsguard. They took opposite sides in the contest, and died fighting one another
The Kingsguard split during the Dance of the Dragons, some supporting Aegon II and others supporting Rhaenyra
Rhaenyra Targaryen was the daughter of Viserys I and mother to Aegon III the Dragonbane and Viserys II, but died a traitor's death all the same
Aegon III's mother Rhaenyra contested her young brother King Aegon II for the throne. Aegon III lived to see Rhaenyra devoured by his uncle's dragon and grew to have a deep fear of dragons
The twins Ser Arryk and Ser Erryk died with tears on their cheeks after each had given the other a mortal wound
Ser Criston Cole, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard at the time of the death of Viserys I, convinced his son Aegon II to claim the rule of the Seven Kingdoms as his father lay dying. This led to the war between Aegon and his elder sister Rhaenyra, whom Viserys had long groomed as his successor. Ser Criston became known as the Kingmaker, and ultimately died because of his actions. It was later claimed that he acted from ambition, or to defend ancient Andal custom giving precedence to sons over daughters, or because he had once had an affair with Rhaenyra until she spurned him
Both sides used dragons during the civil war. Many of these dragons seem to have been killed in the process
Rhaenyra Targaryen was the first-born child of Viserys I, and was almost ten years older than her next sibling, Aegon II. She was Viserys's only living child by his first wife of House Arryn. When her second brother died, Viserys began to treat her as his heir. Many flocked to her, looking for favor. After her mother's death, Viserys remarried. His second wife, a Hightower, promptly gave him three healthy sons and a daughter in rapid succession
The Conquest of Dorne
Daeron the Young Dragon conquered Dorne at 14
The conquest of Dorne lasted a summer
The Boy King spent 10,000 men taking Dorne, and 50,000 trying to hold it
Daeron I died at the age of 18
King Daeron I, the Young Dragon, was the first to observe that there were three types of Dornishmen: salty Dornishmen, sandy Dornishmen, and stony Dornishmen
King Daeron I was very brave in battle
The Young Dragon never won three battles in a day
King Daeron I wrote Conquest of Dorne with elegant simplicity
Baelor the Blessed walked the Boneway barefoot to make peace with Dorne and rescued the Dragonknight from a snakepit. Legend says the vipers refused to strike him because he was so pure and holy, but the truth is that he was bitten half a hundred times and should have died from it. Some say that he was deranged by the venom
After the Submission of Sunspear, the Young Dragon left the Lord of Highgarden to rule Dorne for him. He moved with his train from one keep to the next, chasing rebels and keeping the knees of the Dornishmen bent. It was his custom to turn the lords of the keeps he stayed in out of their chambers, to sleep in their place. One night, finding himself in a bed with a heavy velvet canopy, he pulled a sash near the pillows to summon a wench. When he did so, the canopy opened and a hundred red scorpions fell upon him. His death led to rebellion throughout Dorne, and in a fortnight all the Young Dragon had won was undone
When the Young Dragon was killed, a Kingsguard knight named Ser Olyvar Oakheart, known as the Green Oak, died at his side
King Daeron wrote in his Conquest of Dorne that the favorite weapons of the Dornishmen are the spear and the sun, but that the latter was by the deadlier
Dorne is the least populous of the Seven Kingdoms, though many outside of this do not realize it because of Daeron I's account of his conquest of Dorne, in which he inflated the numbers of the enemy to glorify his victories, and the Princes of Dorne have been happy to allow the rest of the realm to believe this
The Blackfyre Pretenders
Daemon Blackfyre died for his treason, as did Grand Maester Hareth and Rhaenyra Targaryen (III: 407)
Aerys originally acted as if Robert was nothing but a mere outlaw lord, but Robert Baratheon and his allies were the greatest threat to House Targaryen since Daemon Blackfyre (
Aegon IV legitimized all his bastards on his deathbed, and the pain, grief, war, and murder that wrought lasted five generations because of the Blackfyre pretenders. It only ended when Ser Barristan the Bold slew the last of them, Maelys the Monstrous, in single combat on the Stepstones during the War of the Ninepenny Kings
Lord Bloodraven lost an eye to Bittersteel on the Redgrass Field
The Blackfyre Rebellion ended in the battle of the Redgrass Field in 196
All three of Ser Eustace Osgrey's sons died at the end of the Blackfyre Rebellion in 196, on the Redgrass Field. Edwyn and Harrold were knights, while Addam was a squire
Roger of Pennytree, squire and nephew to Ser Arlan of Pennytree, was young when he died on the Redgrass Field. He was killed by Lord Gormon Peake, whose arms were three black castles on an orange field
Addam Osgrey was killed by a knight wearing the arms of House Smallwood, who took off the boy's arm with an axe
Daemon Blackfyre reversed the colors of the Targaryen arms for his own banner, as many bastards did. In the years following his rebellion, asking if someone had followed the red dragon or the black was considered a dangerous question
Daemon Blackfyre was also known as Daemon the Pretender
Ser Arlan of Pennytree fought in Lord Hayford's host at the Redgrass Field
Lord Hayford was a noted loyalist who was appointed Hand by King Daeron II just before the Redgrass Field, as Lord Butterwell had done such a terrible job in that office that some questioned his loyalty. Lord Hayford was killed during the battle
The Redgrass Field was named for all the blood that shed on it during the great battle
Aegon IV the Unworthy gave his Valyrian steel sword, Blackfyre, which had been carried by Aegon the Conqueror and all the Targaryen kings after him, to his bastard Daemon when he knighted him at the age of 12, instead of to his his heir, Daeron; talk of Daemon becoming Aegon's heir began after this point.. Daemon was his son by one of his cousin's, one of the princesses in the Maindenvault who were sisters to King Baelor the Blessed.
It is said that ten thousand men died on the Redgrass Field
No one could stand against Daemon Blackfyre during the batte. He broke Lord Arryn's van, slaying the Knight of Ninestars and Wild Wyl Waynwood, then fought Ser Gwayne Corbray of the Kingsguard. The two fought for nearly an hour, their Valyrian steel swords Blackfyre and Lady Forlorn shrieking as they clashed, until Daemon clove through Corbray's helm and blinded him with his own blood. As he dismounted to see to his fallen foe and sending Redtusk to conduct him safely to the rear, Bloodraven and his Raven's Teeth gained the the Weeping Ridge. From three hundred yards away, Bloodraven and his company used longbows to slay the eldest of Daemon's twin sons, Aegon, and then Daemon himself after piercing him with seven arrows. The younger twin, Aemon, took up Blackfyre, only to die in the same fashion
The rebels routed following the death of Daemon and his sons, but the rout was turned by Bittersteel, who led a mad charge. Bittersteel and Bloodraven fought a battle second only to that of Blackfyre and Corbray. Finally, the battle was ended when Baelor Breakspear charged the rebel rear, his Dornishmen and stormlords striking a hammerblow that shattered the enemy
Had Daemon Blackfyre won on the Redgrass Field, the road to King's Landing would have been open and undefended
Bittersteel and Daemon Blackfyre's five surviving sons fled to Tyrosh, where they plotted their return
In the aftermath of the Blackfyre Rebellion, wherein House Osgrey of Standfast supported Daemon Blackfyre while House Webber supported King Daeron, the Osgreys were stripped of control over the Chequy Water, which was granted to House Webber, who also gained other rights associated with Wat's Wood. Furthermore, Ser Eustace Osgrey's wife killed herself when she learned that her daughter and only surviving child, Allysane, was to be made a hostage in King's Landing
Daemon Blackfyre promised Coldmoat to Ser Eustace Osgrey
Those who followed King Daeron called themselves loyalists
Daemon Blackfyre was known as the King Who Bore the Sword by his followers, who also claimed that he was the rightful king
Following Blackfyre's Rebellion, many of those who followed him drew away from the public eye, in part because Lord Bloodraven and his Raven's Teeth put the fear in them
Half the realm rose for the black dragon, and the other half for the red
Fireball was one of the champions who followed Daemon Blackfyre, but he was slain on the eve of battle. A famous knight of the Reach, Ser Quentyn Ball had been master-at-arms in the Red Keep and had been all but promised a place in the Kingsguard by Aegon IV, a promise Daeron the Good chose not to honor. This led Fireball to becoming one of the men who urged Blackfyre to his rebellion
Hightower, Oakheart, Tarbeck, and Butterwell had a foot in both camps, so did not lend either side their full strength
Manfred Lothston betrayed Daemon Blackfyre, which may have been a pivotal factor in his defeat and death
Lord Bracken was delayed by storms on the narrow sea, which kept him from arriving with Myrish crossbowmen to support Daemon Blackfyre
Quickfinger, a Blackfyre loyalist, was caught with stolen dragon's eggs during Blackfyre's Rebellion
Daeron II was known as Daeron the Falseborn to those who followed the Blackfyres, no doubt alluding to the rumors that Daeron was the son of Aegon IV's brother, Aemon the Dragonknight
King Daeron pardoned those who rebelled against him, so long as they bent the knee and gave over a hostage
Daemon Blackfyre was a great warrior, and some claimed that with Blackfyre in his hand no knight who ever lived could have matched him, even Ulrik Dayne with Dawn or Aemon the Dragonknight with Dark Sister. He was tall and powerful, and no more pious than he had to be
King Daeron marrying his sister Daenerys to the Prince of Dorne when she is said to have loved Daemon Blackfyre was one of several causes of Blackfyre's rebellion
Great knights flocked to Daemon Blackfyre's banner: Robb Reyne, Gareth the Grey, Ser Aubrey Ambrose, Lord Gormon Peake, Black Byren Flowers, Redtusk, Fireball, and Bittersteel (who seems to have been considered the greatest of all)
Ser Brynden Tully won renown fighting the Ninepenny Kings
The Ebon Prince was involved in the War of the Ninepenny Kings, probably as one of the aggressors claiming a crown
Tensions were high in 211-212, as there were those who openly incited the king's subjects to rise against him in support of the Blackfyres and against his Hand, Brynden Rivers. Some who spoke treason were executed by loyal lords
Daemon II Blackfyre, the second Blackfyre Pretender, disguised himself as a hedge knight called John the Fiddler. His arms were a golden engrailed cross, with a golden fiddle in the first and third quarter, and a golden sword in the other quarters. He travelled in company with Lord Alyn Cockshaw and Lord Gormon Peake to a wedding tourney at Lord Butterwell's seat of Whitewalls, which was to serve as a gathering place for his supporters
Lord Gormon Peake lost two of the three castles he ruled, due to having supported Daemon Blackfyre. He retained only Starpike. Because of this, he led the conspiracy that brought Daemon Blackfyre from across the narrow sea
Lord Butterwell was Master of Coin when Aegon IV sat the throne, and then was made Hand for a time by Daeron II, but not for long. During the first Blackfyre Rebellion, his second son fought with the rebels, his eldest with the king, while he kept out of the fighting
Lord Ambrose Butterwell's -tourney in the reign of Aerys I featured the dragon's egg his grandfather received from Aegon IV as the champion's prize
The Seven Kingdoms were seemingly left to fend for themselves against Lord Dagon Greyjoy and his ironborn reavers troubling all the lands on the western coast, as King Aerys I ignored the trouble so he could be closeted with his books, while Prince Rhaegal was said to be so mad as to dance naked in the halls of the Red Keep and Prince Maekar so angry at his brother and his advisors that he sat and brooded at Summerhall. Some blamed Lord Bloodraven, the Hand of the King, for this state of affairs, while others claimed his attention was focused on Tyrosh where the sons of Daemon Blackfyre and Bittersteel plotted another attempt to seize the Iron Throne (TMK: 664)
Armond Caswell, Lord of Bitterbridge, was among those who fought for King Daeron II against Daemon Blackfyre. In one battle, his banner-bearer was killed and he was allegedly saved by Ser Kyle, the Cat of Misty Moor
Lord Costayne fought in the left battle of Daemon's host at the Redgrass Field
Lord Shawney fought on the right with Bittersteel at the Battle of the Redgrass Field, and was nearly killed there
Ser Quentyn Ball was called Fireball for his hot temper and red hair. He had been promised a place in the Kingsguard by Aegon the Unworthy, and forced his wife to become a silent sister so he could take up the honor. By the time a place was open, however, it was Aegon's son Daeron who ruled and he preferred to give the cloak to another man, Ser Willem Wylde. This was the reason why he supported Daemon Blackfyre
Fireball would go on to help convince Daemon Blackfyre to claim the crown, and rescued him when King Daeron sent the Kingsguard to arrest him. He slew Lord Lefford at the gates of Lannisport and sent Lord Lannister, the Grey Lion, fleeing. At the crossing of the Mander, he slew Lady Penrose's son one by one, but let the youngest live as a kindness
Fireball was struck down by a nameless archer's arrow as he dismounted at a stream for a drink of water
The Old Ox, Ser Buford Bulwer, is claimed to have killed forty men at the Redgrass Field. This number is dubious, however
Daemon II's attempt to win the Iron Throne lacked the support of Bittersteel, despite his dream that he would hatch a dragon from an egg, much as he had dreamed of his elder brothers dead
Daemon II dreamed that Ser Duncan the Tall would be a knight in his Kingsguard
Daemon II was seven when his elder brothers, Aemon and Aegon, died at the age of twelve at the Redgrass Field
Lord Sunderland attended Lord Butterwell's wedding in the reign of Aerys I. He had fought for the Black Dragon during Daemon Blackfyre's rebellion
Lord Butterwell's sons fought on both sides during the first Blackfyre Rebellion
Ser Glendon Ball (also called Flowers), Ser Argrave the Defiant of Nunny, Ser Duncan the Tall (as the Gallows Knight), Lord Joffrey Caswell, Ser Kyle, the Cat of Misty Moor, Ser Uthor Underleaf, Ser Eden Risley, Lord Smallwood's nephew, Ser Addam Frey, Lord Cockshaw, Ser John the Fiddler, Ser Tommard Heddle, ,Ser Clarence Charlton, and Ser Galtry the Green were among the knights who rode at Butterwell's tourney
Daemon Blackfyre struck his own coinage during his rebellion. Possession of the coins was considered treasonous
It's said that Glendon Ball, the Knight of Pussywillows, was the son of a camp follower named Jenny. She was called Penny Jenny, and then Redgrass Jenny for all the men it's claimed she bedded before the battle. There's little doubt Fireball did sleep with her at some point, but the question of Glendon's paternity is open. Glendon was raised with his sister at a brothel called the Pussywillows
Ser Uthor Underleaf was paid to try and kill Ser Duncan the Tall in the lists by Lord Alyn Cockshaw. The price was six gold dragons, and four more when Ser Duncan was declared dead
Ser Glendon Ball was offered a place at Starpike by Lord Peake if he deliberately lost to "John the Fiddler", Daemon Blackfyre, as part of Peake's plan to convince the realm of Daemon's worthiness as a successor to his father. When he refused, and the dragon's egg was stolen, Peake deliberately accused him of the theft so as to get him out of the way
The occasion of Lord Butterwell's wedding was used by supporters of the black dragon to meet together and secretly plot rebellion against the Iron Throne. Among those who appeared was one of Daemon Blackfyre's sons, in the guise of Ser John the Fiddler
Many of the hostages that King Daeron took from the supporters of the black dragon died in King's Landing when the Great Spring Sickness ran rampant
Lord Butterwell's dragon egg was stolen during the wedding tourney, allegedly by a spy of Lord Bloodraven who supposedly murdered the guards who watched over it. Tommard Heddle claimed that a dying guard blamed Glendon Ball
Alyn Cockshaw was obsessed and in love with Daemon II, and dreamed of commanding his Kingsguard, but became jealous when Daemon's eyes turned to Duncan the Tall
Daemon Blackfyre fathered seven sons. His third son was named Daemon as well. He and Alyn Cockshaw spent their childhoods together, suggesting Cockshaw was fostered with Daemon
Bittersteel carried off Daemon's surviving sons into exile
Alyn Cockshaw drowned in a well after being thrown into it by Ser Duncan the Tall, following his attempt to do the same to Ser Duncan
Ser Maynard Plumm, who attended Lord Butterwell's wedding, was obviously a spy for the one-eyed Lord Bloodraven. At one point, Dunk sees him hooded and believes he can only see one eye, until he realizes that was just a brooch. Plumm reveals Bloodraven knew a good deal about the plots of Daemon Blackfyre and Lord Peake
Ambrose Butterwell was never a firm supporter of the conspiracy to crown Daemon II, especially when he learned that he had neither the support of Bittersteel nor the sword Blackfyre. The theft of the dragon's egg made him even less inclined to be part of the conspiracy
Black Tom Heddle, who was deeply involved in the conspiracy and had suborned Lord Butterwell's own men against him, was killed by Ser Duncan the Tall in single combat
Lord Frey abandoned the conspiracy immediately when Prince Aegon, son of Prince Maekar, revealed himself to him and Lord Butterwell and claimed he and Ser Duncan were spies for his father
The dragon's egg allegedly taken from Ball's saddle was nothing but a painted stone, as the real dragon's egg had been stolen by persons unknown
Daemon Blackfyre decided to allow Ser Glendon to defend himself in a trial by combat, and jousted against him. Despite Ball having been beaten and tortured, he defeated Daemon who was dubbed the Brown Dragon for the mud that covered him after he fell to the ground in the lists
As the conspiracy unravelled, many of the wedding guests who had entertained being a part of it fled Whitewalls in the night
An army appeared outside Whitewalls, a host raised at Lord Bloodraven's command. Lord Mooton, Lord Blackwood, Lord Darklyn, and Lady Lothston were among its leaders, and there were Hayfords, Rosbys, Stokeworths, Masseys, the king's sworn swords, three of the Kingsguard, and three hundred of Bloodraven's Raven's Teeth involved. Bloodraven himself was present
Daemon II's attempt to be crowned ended ignominiously when no one was willing to ride against Lord Bloodraven's army. He rode out alone and challenged Bloodraven to single combat, but was simply dragged down from his horse and arrested
One of Lord Vyrwel's men-at-arms boasted he had been among Bloodraven's spies, but had his throat cut by one of Lord Costayne's knights
Ser Maynard Plumm vanished from Whitewalls some time during the night
Ser Roland Crakehall was one of the Kingsguard knights at Whitewalls
Lord Peake was executed by beheading for his treason. His head was displayed with Tom Heddle's
Lord Butterwell submitted to Lord Bloodraven's judgment, and lost nine-tenths of his wealth and his pride, Whitewalls. Lord Bloodraven intended to pull the castle down and sow the ground in salt so that it would soon be forgotten
Erstwhile supporters of the Blackfyres would make pilgrimages to the Redgrass Field to plant flowers where Daemon Blackfyre fell
Lord Frey was permitted to depart Whitewalls by Lord Bloodraven, without any apparent loss to himself
There have always been Targaryens who dreamed of things to come, since long before the Conquest, and it was no surprise that the same gift appeared among their descendants such as the Blackfyres
Bloodraven believed that Daemon Blackfyre's dream that a dragon would hatch at Whitewalls came true, but that it was Prince Aegon whom he dreamed of
Bloodraven intended to suggest that King Aerys keep Daemon Blackfyre as a hostage at the Red Keep as a means of preventing Bittersteel from crowning his brother Haegon
Bloodraven appears to have arranged the theft of the dragon's egg with the help of a troupe of dwarf mummers who crept up a privy shaft
The most notable rebellions against the Targaryens came from the Blackfyre pretenders
Bittersteel was Ser Aegor Rivers, the bastard son of Aegon the Unworthy by a a woman of House Bracken. Angry at his lot as a bastard, he was dark-haired, lithe, and hard. He wore a horsehead crest upon his helm and his arms featured a red stallion with black dragon wings, snorting flame against a golden field
Daemon Blackfyre was about 26 at the time of his rebellion, Bittersteel 24, and Bloodraven 21. Daemon's eldest sons, Aegon and Aemon, were 12
Daemon Blackfyre rebelled when he did for several reasons. Among them were that he was increasingly resentful of his status as a bastard, councilors urged him to it such as Fireball,