Fanfic / The House of Elendil

Across the Sunset Sea, they come. Nine ships and three lords and one white tree. Elendil the Tall and his people have come out of the fall of Numenor to the shores of Westeros, and now they join the Game of Thrones. They must win or die.

— The author's summary

After Numenor fell, Elendil and the remaining Faithful of the Numenoreans land on Westeros instead of on Middle Earth thirty years after Aegon conquered it. Three hundred years later, Elendil and his sons reign as one of the Great Houses. The story takes place during the first arc of the Game of Thrones series where intrigue naturally begins to rear its ugly head. On top of that, there are dark tidings coming up from the East...

The House of Elendil is a The Silmarillion/Game of Thrones Crossover by EricDal. It can be read on Ff.net, Sufficient Velocity and Space Battles forums (first thread, second thread and third thread).

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Tropes contained in The House of Elendil

• Affably Evil:
  • Lord Captain Belzagar remains courteous when treating with Daenarys, even while threatening to slaughter the remnants of her husband's khalasar if she refuses to do his bidding.
  • Imrazor also lives up to this trope; he treats Daenerys with courtly politeness even as the city of Meereen is sacked by his army.
• All Myths Are True: Isildur and the Numenoreans take them very seriously, even those spoken of by the Westerosi, such as the monsters beyond the wall. Unlike the populace of Westeros, they know all too well that there are dark forces lurking about and are consequently worried about the lack of reinforcement of the Night's Watch.
• Anyone Can Die: It's Game of Thrones, so that shouldn't come as a surprise. Among the dead so far are Balon, Aeron and Victarion Greyjoy, Barristan Selmy, Robert Baratheon, Aratan and Gregor Clegane.
• The Atoner: Valandil, who is haunted by his part in the massacre of the Greyjoys on Pyke. He also feels that while the Mad King had to be overthrown, the Rebellion went too far in trying to wipe out his line. Unfortunately, while he wants to try and make amends for the wrongs he feels he and his family committed, that desire has caused him make some poorly-considered choices. See Didn't Think This Through below.
• Badass Army:
  • The Numenoreans are not to be taken lightly. When the Greyjoys rebelled, Isildur and his kin destroyed them before the rest of the kingdom could get to the Iron Islands. Before that, they helped conquer Dorne.
  • The Ghiscari army sent against Drogo counts too. Granted, they had the leadership of Black Numenoreans, but they were outnumbered and still crushed the khalasar while taking hardly any losses of their own.
• Birds of a Feather: The House of Elendil and the Starks get on very well, in part because of their shared seriousness.
• Blackmail Backfire: Tywin has Isildur taken as a hostage in order to ensure that Elendil and Gondor don't march against him while he ravages the Riverlands. Unfortunately, as of Chapter 20, Isildur has been freed and even worse, he managed to kill Gregor Clegane during his escape and Joffrey was foolish enough to execute Aratan. Now there's nothing stopping Gondor from coming down to give the Lannister's a good stomping.
• Compelling Voice:
  • The Mouth of Umbar uses this to try and convince Khal Drogo to ally with his master. Judging by how effective he was to the other Dothraki, he probably added a touch of magic to make his spiel seem irresistible. Unfortunately, he underestimated Drogo, who just laughs at him and says that he doesn't need Umbar or its king. Needless to say, the Mouth was not pleased.
  • Belzagar has his own voice too. Not only does it make Dothraki quail in their saddles, it allows him to keep the Ghiscari from breaking rank by overpowering their minds.
• Continuity Nod: Isildur tells the tale of Fingolfin and his fight against Morgoth to the Stark children, which happened in the Silmarillion. They also make requests for other stories, including Beren and Luthien, Turin Turambar and the Silmarils.
• Crystal Ball: Isildur uses a Palantir to look across Westeros and communicate with his father.
• Culture Clash: The Numenoreans' faith and society tends to grate on a lot of Westerosi, but it is most apparent when it comes to religion. Considering that the Numenoreans know for a fact that their god is real and even witnessed divine retribution at first hand, they regard the Faith of the Seven and indeed every other religion as wrong. However, they don't tend to make a fuss about it and they also don't deny that other culture's monsters are real, sending sons up to the Night's Watch on a rationale of a) it is honourable service, b) it is best to err on the safe side.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: Drogo's khalasar gets utterly destroyed by a Ghiscari army led by Black Numenoreans. To make it even more humiliating, the Dothraki outnumbered them and were fighting on an open field, where their cavalry tactics are most effective, but barely inflicted any casualties.
• Decadent Court: King's Landing is still a pit of backstabbers and schemers, hence why Varys persuaded Robert to declare Isildur the Hand of the King instead of Ned. Unlike the Lord of Winterfell, Isildur has played the game before, and against one of the most dangerous schemers of all time.

• Defeat Means Respect: While their duel ended in a draw, Jaime still considers Aratan to be one of the best fighters he had ever faced. Equally, Isildur grudgingly admits that Jaime, for all that he's a traitor, 'knows his swordplay'.
• Didn't Think This Through:
  • Planning ahead does not seem be Valandil's strong point. He wants to restore the Targaryens to the Iron Throne, even though Viserys likely wouldn't make a very good king and the army he's with is a marauding horde that bases its society around killing, pillaging and slaving. He doesn't seem to realize that by siding with the two Targaryens, he's going to come into conflict with not only the Starks, who are his people's greatest allies, but also his own family. His plan thus far could be summed up as "Join up with Targaryens, and then see what happens." And he doesn't seem to plan that through either.
  • Tywin taking Isildur captive and Joffrey beheading Isildur's son Aratan. Considering that when the Greyjoys killed Isildur's wife and mother they were completely wiped out, barring "Yara" and Theon, we should be enjoying the next couple chapter when the North and Gondor march south.
• The Dragon:
  • Belzagar is one of these as a Lord Captain of Ar-Azulakhor. Of course, according to the author, he's just one of several, and he's not even the biggest.
  • That honor belongs to Imrazor, the High Captain of the King's Ships, which makes him, according to the author, the second-most powerful man in Umbar, after the Great King himself.
  • Gregor Clegane to Tywin Lannister. Jaime notes that his father is the only one the Mountain actually bows to.
• The Dragonslayer: Elendil is this, having singlehandedly slain a dragon during the Dance.
• The Dreaded:
  • The fear factor has really been played up with Umbar, largely due to how insidiously subtle they are. Ghis, Qarth and the Jade Sea have basically gone dark without a word, no ships come out of the region and any ship that does venture there never comes back. Even with the Palantir, all that can be seen is shadows. The only inkling anyone has about what's lying in wait is vague rumors of great ships with black sails with red eyes emblazoned on them.
  • The Gondorians themselves have a few strains of this, with the annihilation of the Greyjoys, their relative agelessness, and their otherworldly mystique making sure that they are known and feared across the Narrow Sea. Specific to Westeros, they're considered to be a powerful faction even by themselves, with Elendil being referred to as "Kingmaker" — and after the annihilation of the Greyjoys, no one wants to take on the White Fleet.
  • Isildur, who for all his affable nature in person is particularly feared because of his martial abilities, skills at the game of thrones, and utter implacability when pushed — again, see the annihilation of the Greyjoys. God only knows what he's going to do when he finds out that Robert has probably been murdered by Cersei, Ned has been imprisoned, and that his eldest son, Aratan, has definitely been killed by Joffrey.
• Dude, Where's My Respect?: So far, Viserys is the object of pretty much everyone's disdain, including his allies. Drogo hardly acknowledges that he exists, Jorah and Valandil insult him behind his back and even Daenerys regards him as nothing more than a fool. Small wonder he chose to sign up with Umbar.
• The Emperor: Ar-Azulakhor is this, and claims such titles as King of Kings, Master of the Seas and Lord of the Earth.
• The Empire: Umbar is shaping up to be this, having displayed a bit of its power by destroying Drogo's khalasar with a force only half its size. It should be noted that the Dothraki in general are perhaps the most feared fighting force on Essos, to the point that even the Free Cities opt to pay tribute rather than fight them, and Drogo's khalasar was the largest. Considering that the King's Men landed at Essos around the same time as Elendil at Westeros, giving Umbar a good few centuries to expand its influence, it's likely going to be a very big threat later on. More recently, Umbar has conquered Meereen and likely the entirety of Slaver's Bay.
• Expy:
  • Within Imrazor's army, there is a tribe whose banner shows a she-wolf suckling two children, which references the legend of how Rome was founded.
  • Another tribe has its men dress up in a similar manner to German Landsknecht mercenaries.
• Fallen Hero: Isildur following the obliteration of the Greyjoys in the eyes of his son, Valandil.
• Fantastic Racism:
  • The majority of the Westerosi don't like the Numenoreans and are downright afraid of them. This becomes readily apparent in King's Landing, where everyone is quick to blame them for anything bad that happens. However, it should also be noted that they're held in a kind of awe at the same time.
  • The Dothraki have an even lower opinion of them. They regard the Numenoreans as a race of evil sorcerers and believe that they should be exterminated.
  • While they are still pretty nice all things considered, the Numenoreans still consider themselves to be, if not above, then certainly separate from the people of Westeros. Since establishing their dominion, Elendil has repeatedly refused marriage proposals from other houses, fearing that such unions would dilute their bloodlines, and Ohtar explicitly states to Isildur that should the worst happen to Robert, he should take the throne, because no one else has a more noble bloodline. The main difference is that they prefer to put themselves aside from, rather than above, other men.
  • The Black Numenoreans make no bones about the fact that they consider themselves above pretty much everyone. They accept the Numenoreans as racial equals, but still view them as culturally weak and inferior.
• Fate Worse than Death: The Ironborn had made an oath to Elendil and his house, but broke it by capturing, raping and murdering Isildur's wife and mother. Before he goes about annihilating the Greyjoys and the Ironborn, he curses them to never be able to rest until their oath has been fulfilled. It's implied that they are now cursed with unlife.
• Fusion Fic: The story's premise is that Númenor existed in the Sunset Sea, leading its survivors to land on the shores of Westeros around the time of Aegon's Conquest.
• The Heavy: Belzagar, Lord Captain of Ar-Azulakhor's hosts in the East, serves as this for the moment. He is charismatic, polite, and a stone-cold killer. However, he is still just a servant to a much greater threat.
• Heel Realization:
  • After nearly dying due to his ill-considered decision to fight in the tournament melee, Robert comes to the conclusion that he's been neglecting his duties as king and vows that things will change. Too bad he didn't live long enough to make good of his promise.
  • Valandil, Isildur's son, experienced this after the annihilation of the Greyjoys — specifically, when his father slaughtered not just Balon, but Balon's wife, and might well have killed Theon and Yara if Valandil hadn't found them first — and is helping the Targaryens as an attempt to make amends.
• Hegemonic Empire: Umbar has absorbed numerous people in Essos, from minor tribes to city-states like Ghiscar.
• Heroic Self-Deprecation: Robert has a pretty heartfelt one with Eddard, as he reminisces on how he's been a terrible king, having spent all of this time chasing pleasure while leaving his Hands to run the kingdom.
  Robert: Have I been a bad king, Ned?
  Eddard: You've given the Realm good years, Robert.
  Robert: I did? The Realm must have really appreciated all those hunts I went on, all those feasts I threw, all those whores in my bed. It was Jon Arryn who ran the Realm, and now Isildur. And yet history will remember me.
• Hidden Depths: Drogo is much, much smarter than almost any of the cast realises — he picks out Valandil as a man of "mettle", and when Valandil mildly points out that Drogo hasn't seen him fight, and only knows him as one of his wife's men, Drogo simply smiles and responds, "The lion knows his own." He also casually shrugs off the Compelling Voice of the Mouth of Umbar. Unfortunately, this doesn't prevent the Umbarim from annihilating his Khalasar and killing him.
• Ineffectual Death Threats: After Belzagar shows a nearly dead Drogo to Daenerys and has his braid cut off, she vows that she and her unborn child will destroy Umbar and ensure that Belzagar dies screaming. An impressive threat, certainly, but right now she's got no way to back it up.
• In Spite of a Nail:
  • In the backstory, Elendil supported Rhaenyra in the Dance of the Dragons, and she lived to become Queen of Westeros, but it hasn't butterflied the history of Westeros in any way; justified as this was published before The Princess and the Queen, when little was known about the Dance of the Dragons, and since all canon Targaryen kings descend from Rhaenyra's bloodline anyway.
  • Despite the establishment of a royal army led by good old Ned (not to mention the presence of several Numenoreans) Ned is still taken captive (he is busted out but then recaptured). At this point, though, he still has his head, Joffrey's bloodlust is momentarily sated, and Isildur is loose and set to return to King's Landing.
• It's All About Me: Viserys, naturally. In this fic, though, Valandil has some success in tempering his mean streak, so thus far he has escaped dying horribly. Given that he's gone and joined with Umbar, we'll see how long that attitude lasts.
• Large and in Charge:
  • At nearly eight feet in height, Elendil dwarfs just about everyone and is Lord Paramount of Gondor. Large and in charge indeed.
  • Isildur, well over seven feet tall himself, is also this as Hand of the King — specifically when acting in Robert's stead.
• Living Relic: Isildur is this to normal people. He's been alive since the time of Aegon the Conqueror and has lived through every major event during the past three hundred years — and played a key part in most of them, Varys even asks him what Aegon was really like, to which Isildur answers that he was greedy, solitary, obsessed with his legacy, and that he talked too much.
• The Magnificent: This being a fusion of The Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones, this was inevitable. There's Elendil the Kingmaker, Ned Stark the Quiet Wolf, Jaime Lannister the Young Lion, and Tywin Lannister the Great Lion. Elendil has plenty of other epithets besides "Kingmaker"; his other titles include "the Tall", "the Longlived", and, to some with more fanciful inclinations, "the Immortal".
• Master Race:
  • The Black Numenoreans like the Mouth of Umbar consider themselves to be of a higher breed than all other men and believe they are destined to rule over everyone.
  • Even the Gondorians have shades of this, looking down somewhat on the Westerosi. For instance, Ohtar, Isildur's close friend and servant, feels that the Numenoreans, particularly Isildur, are more worthy of the Iron Throne than any other House.
• My Country, Right or Wrong: When Ohtar suggests that Isildur should have taken the Iron Throne for himself after the Rebellion, being of a more worthy bloodline, Isildur refuses to even consider it. He instead says that the throne belongs to those native to Westeros. Aratan's prophecy just prior to his execution hints that he'll rethink this - though it's ambiguous whether it refers to Isildur or the Great King of Umbar.
• Mythology Gag: When Valandil serves Daenerys, he first uses the name Strider, then Thorongil, which are the names that Aragorn used, the first in Lord of the Rings, the second in the backstory of the same when he served Gondor and Rohan in disguise.
• Near-Death Experience: Robert takes a knife to the stomach and nearly dies when he decided to ride in the melee. Unfortunately, it's now become an actual death, though the circumstances do seem a bit suspicious.
• Oh, Crap!: Valandil has this reaction when he realizes that the Black Numenoreans have also survived the downfall of Numenor and are operating in Essos. Considering that these people were the ones who committed atrocities so terrible even Sauron was impressed, that reaction hardly seems adequate.
• Paper-Thin Disguise: Valandil's "disguise" when among the Dothraki is so thin that it's practically transparent. It's pretty hard to pretend you're not a Numenorean when you're seven feet tall and carry a steelbow, something only Numenoreans use. Doesn't help that he tells Daenerys the tale of Luthien and Beren, which is known to be a Numenorean story; even the name he takes is Numenorean. Honestly, it's amazing that no one aside from Jorah has found out about his true self — and the only reason they haven't is probably because the Dothraki know little or nothing about Numenoreans, Viserys is relentlessly self-absorbed, and Daenarys was essentially raised in exile.

• Racial Remnant: The Numenoreans who arrived at Westeros are this, with only nine ships worth of survivors. Currently, they're one of the Great Houses, so it's safe to say they've come a fair ways since then. Umbar is this too, though it's more along the lines of a rising power.
• Rags to Royalty: For years, Viserys was sneered at as the Beggar King, without even a single treasure to his name. Now, Azulakhor has taken him in, making Viserys a Prince of Umbar.
• Really 700 Years Old: Though he looks like he's only in his thirties, Isildur is actually more than three hundred years old. Elendil himself is around the five hundred mark, and his hair is barely flecked with grey.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Drogo, surprisingly enough, accepting Valandil's reasoning for protecting the slave boy, saying that they both keep the ways of their fathers, and respecting Valandil for it.
• "Reason You Suck" Speech: Aratan's prophecy to Joffrey in chapter 18 carries significant shades of this.
• Religion of Evil: Umbar still worships Morgoth. If it's anything like when Sauron was the High Priest, then part of their worship involves sacrificing people to Morgoth by burning them alive.
• Retired Badass: Though Elendil is more concerned with ruling his domains, he's had quite an exciting life. He helped the Targaryans conquer Dorne and during the Dance of Dragons, personally slew a dragon by himself, before crowning Rhaenyra Queen and earning the name 'The Kingmaker'.
• The Rival: It's established pretty quickly that Imrazor and Belzagar are not friends. Imrazor wastes no time subtly belittling Belzagar's accomplishments and taking the honor of bringing Dany to the Great King while leaving Belzagar to clean up after his conquests. And since Imrazor is Belzagar's superior, he has no choice but to obey.
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge:
  • The Greyjoys learned the hard way what happens when you make an enemy of Elendil the Tall and his people. Unlike in canon where Balon bent the knee to Robert after he defeated them, the Numenoreans wipe out the entire House of Greyjoy, save for a few members. Robert, not renowned for being squeamish, remarks that the Greyjoy Rebellion wasn't a war, but an extermination.
  • Isildur initiates one on behalf of the people of Sherrer after the Mountain destroys it — something that Tywin anticipated, planning to use it to lure him out, capture him, and use him as a hostage to keep the White Fleet from intervening in the Lannisters' attack on the Riverlands. Unfortunately for him, while the 'capture Isildur' part worked out, he got out and killed the Mountain in single combat. Going by past evidence, it is also quite likely that a considerably more spectacular one will take place when Isildur finds out just what happened to Robert, Ned, and Aratan.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After being consistently side-lined, Viserys decides that his company would be better appreciated in Umbar.
• Shout-Out: Belzagar gives a tirade that is remarkably similar to the one the Mouth of Sauron gave Aragorn at the Black Gates.
  Belzagar: Are there ANY in this rabble with the authority to treat with me!? Or with wit enough to understand me!? Not thou, Drogo son of Bharbo! Your blind pride would have you stand in the way of the dark sea and bar the onset of wrathful waves. What is a Dothraki Khal but a brigand who steals to live, whose children role amidst the dung, whose wives lay with horses? Are you even men at all? I wonder? Who art thou to defy the will of the Great King? Thou hast the insolence born of ignorance. Even rats will eat the leftover filth of the Great King's kitchen, but what use is there for Dothraki? Wretched, miserable beasts who wear the shapes of men but haven't a thought to share amongst them, not even fit for thralldom.
• Smug Snake:
  • The Mouth of Umbar. He holds everyone who is not of Numenorean stock in utter disdain.
  • Littlefinger is the Smug Snake all others must be judged by. He always has a look that implies that he knows something you don't.
• Start of Darkness: It is implied that the rape and murder of his wife and mother, and the resultant slaughter of the Greyjoys, with only Theon and "Yara" spared (and that is implied to have only been because Valandil found them first), was this for Isildur — at least, in the eyes of his son, Valandil. If not this trope, it certainly revealed a capacity for darkness within him.
• Trans Human: The Numenoreans are a light version of this. They can live to be 300 at a minimum and have knowledge and skills that surpasses that of pretty much everyone else in Westeros. Naturally, a lot of people are envious of them. Robert especially thinks they're too full of themselves (and to be fair, he might have a point about that), though Isildur is the exception.

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