Top 10 Game of Thrones Locations You've Never Seen Before

Asshai by the Shadow is just the beginning. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the top 10 “Game of Thrones” places you’ve never seen.

For this list, we’ll be going over the locales from “A Song of Ice and Fire” that have yet to appear on the “Game of Thrones” TV series. There may be spoilers ahead for those less traveled.

Special thanks to the “Game of Thrones” concept artists behind “Unseen Westeros.” If you’d like to see more artwork from the “World of Ice & Fire” be sure to check out the “Unseen Westeros” artbook on KickStarter!

The Nine Free Cities are former colonies of Valyria. Although some of them have been seen on “Game of Thrones,” one of the more obscure and isolated is Lorath, located on an island on the north of Essos; east of Braavos. Home of both Jaqen H’ghar and Shae in the show, Lorath has an interesting history, as the islands first inhabitants built mysterious mazes there, as well as other locations across the world. The current nation was founded by followers of Boash, the Blind God, who professed that all things are equal, even going so far as to eschew personal pronouns. Although the cult is extinct, some still mimic their speech pattern.

Essos is the massive supercontinent that lies east of Westeros and it stretches in that direction further than any available maps go. One of its stranger geographical features is the Bleeding Sea. Located west of a desert called the Grey Waste and east of the Plains of Jogos Nhai, the Bleeding Sea takes its name from its distinctive blood-red color. While its moniker may be foreboding, the inland sea’s hue is a byproduct of a vast number of plants that bloom within it.

North of the Dothraki Grass Sea lies a huge forest, known as the Kingdom of the Ifequevron, or possibly also known as the Footprint. Named by the Dothraki after its inhabitants, whose name in their tongue means “wood walkers,” this vast stretch of trees is bigger than any in Westeros. The Ifequevron are gone from the land, either driven away or wiped out, though the Dothraki still shun the land; fearing their magical prowess. Because of the carved trees within and the magic of its residents, some maesters speculate the Ifequevron were related to the Children of the Forest of Westeros.

A ruined port city on the mighty Rhoyne River in west Essos, Chroyane was once a golden and wealthy city, renowned for its festivals and possessing a powerful military. However, their wealth and victories in battle drew the attention of Valyria and Volantis, who annihilated Chroyane’s army and made its prince, Garin, watch as his city was butchered. Garin supposedly called on the goddess of the river to flood and strike down his foes. Since then, the region has been foggy and full of stone men and pirates. Although Tyrion passes Chroyane in the books, it is substituted with, and basically rebranded as, Valyria in the show.

Probably best known on the show for being the homeland of Missandei, Daenerys Targaryen’s aide and translator, Naath is an island nation in the Summer Sea. The people of Naath do not believe in conflict or aggression and worship a God of Harmony, as well as the butterflies that make their famous silk. However, their pacifism has made them a frequent target for slavers over the years. Despite this, many who try to kidnap the Naathi wind up dead. This is thanks to a plague, which they’re immune to, carried by the local butterflies.

Continental drift often changes the way landmasses connect, but this usually takes millions of years. Westeros and Essos used to be connected not that long ago…geologically speaking. The Arm of Dorne connected Dorne with what is now the Stepstones, which allowed the First Men to cross into Westeros from Essos. Legend says that the Children of the Forest used magic to flood the region and destroy the land bridge. One of several prequel ideas for the show involves the First Men, so it’s still possible we could one day see it onscreen.

“Game of Thrones” has featured several cultures inspired by real-world ones, but few hailing from Asia. That isn’t to say there isn’t one though, as Yi Ti is heavily inspired by the real world far east, both in terms of its people and its geography. Abutting the Jade Sea, Yi Ti is a heavily jungled empire, whose people consider themselves the most cultured and ancient civilization. While nominally ruled by a God Emperor, the power actually lies with his many princes, warlords, sorcerers, and others who have seized rule outside his palace.

South of Slaver’s Bay lies a mysterious continent known as Sothoryos. Although we could write a whole entry about what we and the larger world don’t know about this jungled and deserted landmass, we’re going to tighten our focus to just one settlement. An abandoned city on Sothoryos’ biggest known river, Yeen is constructed of massively cut blocks made of a mysterious black stone that remains untouched by age or the surrounding jungle. Every attempt to resettle Yeen after its original residents abandoned it, including by the warrior Queen Nymeria, has ended in tragedy or abandonment; leading to rumors of a curse.

Most castles and forts in Westeros are pretty standard in appearance, but one is completely unique – Greywater Watch. Located in the swampy Neck, Greywater Watch is ruled by House Reed, loyal retainers of the Starks. The castle is built on a crannog, which is a kind of artificial island. This allows it to move and preventing enemies, or messenger ravens, from ever finding it; making it an unconquered castle. It’s also one of the only ones to lack knights, probably because armor is too heavy, or a maester. Since Howland Reed is speculated to play an important role in “Game of Thrones”’ final season, maybe we’ll see it after all.

Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:

Norvos

Tyrosh

Widows Watch

Few locales in the “Game of Thrones” world are as shrouded in mystery as the Shadow Lands. Although many have heard of Asshai, far more obscure is its northern neighbor, Stygai, whose reputation is so dreaded that even residents of the former city avoid it. Located in a river valley with steep cliffs called the Vale ofShadows, Stygai is also known as the City of the Night, due to supposedly only seeing daylight at noon. Besides its apparent curse, dragons and demonic creatures are said to reside in and around Stygai. Who knows if anyone from Westeros will ever visit it, or return to tell the tale?