The lost civilisation of the Valyrian Freehold, the greatest empire the world had ever known, centred on the volcanic peninsula of Valyria in Essos. The Valyrians were dragonlords who used fire-breathing dragons and powerful sorcery to conquer most of the known world. The Doom of Valyria - a cataclysmic volcanic event - destroyed the Freehold in a single day, shattering the peninsula and ending the age of dragonlords. The Targaryens, who had departed Valyria before the Doom, were the last surviving dragonlord family.