So, you’re ready to return to Westeros, but you need to figure out where you’re going.

Fear not, we are here to help. ‘Game of Thrones’ spin-off series ‘House of the Dragon’ opens Sunday, August 21 at 9 p.m. on HBO and HBO Max. Set about 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, it follows House Targaryen (the ancestors of Daenerys and Jon Snow) through a civil war. The prequel also revealed why Dany and Jon ended up being the last Targaryens, and why Dany’s dragon trio were the last three in a world that was once full of dragons.

Here’s everything you need to know about House of the Dragon.

plot

The show is based on George RR Martin’s book Fire and Blood, which chronicles the (fictional) history of House Targaryen. This gives the show more leeway to fill in some basic character motivations on the page. It also means that since these events have already happened in the “past” of this world, if you’re wondering how these characters will eventually die (or in some cases, vanish presumed dead), we won’t spoil their fate – But if you choose to look for that information, it’s there.

The basic story is a civil war between Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and her half-brother Aegon II, one of whom will inherit the throne of their father Viserys I. So, again, like “GoT,” it’s a conflict about who’s going to sit in the uncomfortable pointed chair. But this pits sisters against brothers, and dragons against dragons.

Remember how chaotic the war got in “GoT” when Daenerys brought her dragon? At this point, there are beasts on both sides. But the show isn’t going to war on us right away, it’s going to track down the events that led to it. The story will begin with Viserys (Paddy Considine) on the throne thinking about his line of succession, even before Aegon II was born, Rhaenyra was just a teenager (in the first few years of life). The episode is played by Millie Alcock, while Emma Darcy is time-jumping). Expect a lot of palace intrigue and political intrigue. And expect it to cover a larger time span than “GoT”, with more time jumps than the previous show.

world

This is the world of Westeros, with many of the familiar visuals from Game of Thrones, but instead of jumping into every corner of it, we’re focusing on King’s Landing (and some Dragonstone) and the silver-haired, incestuous Tann Glenn family. You can also expect to see more dragons.Daenerys’ three dragons are the novelty everyone thinks on Game of Thrones oops and aha Exceed. In this age of Westeros, dragons are a dime.

The main participants

The key characters are King Viserys I (Considine); his scheming brother Damon (Matt Smith) and the king’s daughter Rhaenyra (Alcock and Darcy) also Closely related to her Uncle Daemon, she is trying to become the first woman on the Iron Throne before her offspring Daenerys.

Outside of their immediate family, Otto Hightower (Rhys Evans) is the Hand of the King – he’s the King’s closest advisor and hates Daemon. His daughter – Allison (played by Emily Kelly Young and Olivia Cooke after the time jump), as Rhaenyra’s friend – will be key in the developing Civil War Role. Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) is also a strong ally for some of these characters.

House of the Dragon premieres on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, August 21 at 9 p.m.