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As an example, here is the scorecard for episode 1 of season 1 that you just watched:
Season 1 Episode 1: "Winter Is Coming"
Main characters:
House Stark - Eddard Stark is the Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North. He is a longtime friend of the king (Robert Baratheon), and in fact helped the king get his throne. He married Catelyn Tully, and they had 5 kids. Robb is the oldest, followed by Sansa (redhead), Arya (tomboy), Bran (boy who loves to climb), and Rickon. Eddard had a sister, Lyanna, who was promised to the king, and as you saw in the pilot, the king still loves her. Eddard also had a brother who died. The other young man in the family is Jon Snow. Jon is of Stark blood, but because he's a bastard in the North, he is given the surname of Snow - the custom for illegitimate children is to carry a surname that indicates what part of the country they are from (other examples - Stone, Rivers). Another Stark is Benjen, Ned's only living sibling and the Commander of the Night's Watch, the force that mans that giant wall you saw at the beginning of the show. The Night's Watch protects the kingdom from the "Wildlings" - who are men and women that for one reason or another abandoned the kingdom to go live beyond the Wall, and from the "White Walkers" - who many believe are myth, and who you don't need to dwell on too much at this point.
House Arryn - Jon Arryn was the Warden of the East and the Hand of the King (basically the Chief of Staff). Unfortunately, the only time you see Jon in the pilot is with painted rocks over his eyes, because he's dead of a fever. Jon was the mentor for King Robert and Eddard (aka Ned). He was married to Catelyn's sister Lysa, and they have a son. In episode 1, Lysa sent a letter to Catelyn stating that Jon was murdered.
House Lannister - this is the wealthiest and perhaps most power-hungry family in Westeros (and that's saying something). Tywin Lannister is the patriarch, though we haven't met him yet. He has three children - the twins Cersei and Jaime, and the dwarf Tyrion. While the king was off hunting, Bran witnessed Cersei and Jaime getting it on, which is why Jaime pushed Bran off the wall.
House Targaryen - this is the family that used to hold the Iron Throne. Robert, Jon Arryn, Ned and others overthrew the family. Viserys and Daenerys were spirited away as children, and Viserys is consumed with the idea of getting the family's throne back. That's why Viserys is willing to give his sister to Khal Drogo, who is the lord of the horsepeople called the Dothraki. The Dothraki aren't going to give you the cultural arts, but they eat, sleep and breathe battle.
House Baratheon - Robert the king is the head of the house. He has a couple of brothers that we'll meet soon, as well. Robert, as mentioned, loved Lyanna Stark, but with her death (and the need to continue the royal line) he was wed to Cersei Lannister. The royal children are Joffrey (blond kid that Sansa was making googly eyes at), Myrcella, and Tommen.
Other folks you met that will play increasingly important roles:
- Theon Greyjoy: he was the guy who put a knife to the wolf puppy when they first found them. He is a ward of Ned Stark.
- Jorah Mormont: he was the guy who gave Daenerys the books.
- Illyrio: He is the guy who is the go-between for Viserys/Daenerys and Khal Drogo.
- The Hound - you weren't really introduced to him, but he was the guy wearing the helmet that looked like a dog's head. I think he was also the guy who appeared briefly and looked like he had been partially scalped. He is the main bodyguard to Joffrey. He's a badass and a sonofabitch, but he's got nothing on his brother (not yet introduced) in either department.
So now we've got some nasty stuff brewing. Jon Arryn is dead...maybe murdered; Ned is his successor as the Hand of the King. Ned's chock full o' integrity, but King's Landing (the capital) is subtle in its politics, and Ned is a fairly straightforward guy. Jaime and Cersei are up to no good and just threw the son of the new Hand from a high place. Viserys is on the brink of raising an army of horselords that could sweep up the seven kingdoms. It's just going to get more intricate from here
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