Prep pack · temporal graph

Game of Thrones

About to watch S01E05 · The Wolf and the Lion

Spoiler-free to End of S01E04 "Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things"

100% spoiler-free up to the final frame of S01E04. Continuity pack (season knowledge + staged narrative + relationship web). Nothing from S01E05 or later.

Months since last watch

14m

Long gap (passport-weighted): foundational who/where listed first.

Standard

Westeros: seven kingdoms under a fragile Iron Throne; winters and old threats still whispered.

Houses Stark, Lannister, Baratheon, Targaryen (in exile), Greyjoy, Tyrell, Martell and others drive power.

Beyond the Wall: wildlings, and something colder. Across the Narrow Sea: exiles and sellswords.

You are still early in Season 1. Prior seasons (if any) are fully in force; this season's finale geometry is not.

Season 1 is the fall of honorable order: Ned's investigation of Jon Arryn's death exposes that Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen are Jaime and Cersei's children, not Robert's.

War begins in earnest: Robb wins early field victories; Jaime is captured by the North; Tywin maneuvers from Harrenhal direction.

Focus on who wants what, who is allied, and which institutions are pressuring the cast.

Mid-Season 1: conflicts have escalated past setup. Re-check alliances and locations on the relationship map.

Dany's arc transforms from abused exile to khaleesi with living weapons. Jorah Mormont advises her; Viserys is killed earlier for his abuse.

If a fact only lands in the season finale, it is not in this pack yet.

Season 1 path through S01E04: E1 "Winter Is Coming" → E2 "The Kingsroad" → E3 "Lord Snow" → E4 "Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things".

Cutoff discipline: every fact above ends at S01E04. Do not import anything from S01E05 ("The Wolf and the Lion") or later.

Key events (pre-cutoff)

01Season 1 through E1: early markers only.
02S1E01: Context beat: Jon Arryn dead before series; Ned becomes Hand
03S1E01: Context beat: Direwolves found; each Stark child bonded
04S1E03: Ned becomes Hand
05S1E03: Bran falls
06S1E03: Cat rides south with suspicion
07Season 1 through E5: mid-run markers.
08Season beat: Jon Arryn dead before series; Ned becomes Hand
09Season beat: Direwolves found; each Stark child bonded
10Season beat: Bran pushed from the tower after seeing Jaime/Cersei
11Season beat: Tyrion taken by Catelyn; trial by combat in the Vale
12S01E01: Winter Is Coming
13S01E02: The Kingsroad
14S01E03: Lord Snow
15S01E04: Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things

Character status cards

Snapshots as of graph ordinal ≤ 4 (S01E04).

Ned Stark

alive

Hand of the King

Loc. King's Landing

Motivation: Advance personal and factional stakes
Emotional state: Hardened by recent events
Last known: Investigating Arryn's death

Allies

Robb Stark, Catelyn, Jon Snow, Robert, Renly (soft)

Threats

Cersei, Joffrey, Littlefinger, Lannisters, secrets

Cersei Lannister

alive

Queen

Loc. King's Landing

Motivation: Advance personal and factional stakes
Emotional state: Hardened by recent events
Last known: Protecting the incest secret

Allies

Jaime Lannister, Joffrey Baratheon, Jaime

Threats

Ned Stark, Tyrion Lannister, Ned's investigation

Jaime Lannister

alive

Kingsguard

Loc. King's Landing

Motivation: Advance personal and factional stakes
Emotional state: Hardened by recent events
Last known: Pushed Bran; still free

Allies

Cersei Lannister, Cersei

Threats

Robb Stark, Catelyn Stark, exposure

Robb Stark

alive

King in the North (emerging)

Loc. The North / Riverlands campaign

Motivation: Advance personal and factional stakes
Emotional state: Hardened by recent events
Last known: Wins early battles; holds Jaime captive

Allies

Catelyn, Greatjon, Talisa path later

Threats

Tywin, Jaime, Lannister hosts

Bran Stark

alive

Crippled lordling; greenseer seeds

Loc. Winterfell

Motivation: Advance personal and factional stakes
Emotional state: Hardened by recent events
Last known: Survives fall; dreams of the three-eyed raven begin

Allies

Hodor, Robb Stark, Jon Snow

Threats

Jaime Lannister

Jon Snow

alive

Bastard seeking purpose

Loc. Toward the Wall

Motivation: Advance personal and factional stakes
Emotional state: Hardened by recent events
Last known: Leaves Winterfell for the Watch

Allies

Samwell Tarly, Ned Stark, Uncle Benjen

Threats

identity wounds

Tywin Lannister

alive

Lord of Casterly Rock; war architect

Loc. Harrenhal campaign

Motivation: Advance personal and factional stakes
Emotional state: Hardened by recent events
Last known: Coordinates Lannister response to northern war

Allies

Cersei Lannister, Jaime Lannister

Threats

Robb Stark

Joffrey Baratheon

alive

Boy king

Loc. King's Landing

Motivation: Advance personal and factional stakes
Emotional state: Hardened by recent events
Last known: Orders Ned's death; sadistic rule begins

Allies

Cersei Lannister

Threats

Stannis Baratheon

Catelyn Stark

alive

Lady of Winterfell; war mother

Loc. With Robb's host

Motivation: Advance personal and factional stakes
Emotional state: Hardened by recent events
Last known: Took Tyrion; freed Jaime later path seeds

Allies

Robb, Brienne (later)

Threats

Lannisters, Freys later

Sansa Stark

alive

Hostage betrothed to Joffrey

Loc. King's Landing

Motivation: Advance personal and factional stakes
Emotional state: Hardened by recent events
Last known: Watches father's death; trapped in court

Allies

Sandor (uneasy)

Threats

Joffrey, Cersei

Tyrion Lannister

alive

Lannister son; strategist

Loc. Toward King's Landing

Motivation: Advance personal and factional stakes
Emotional state: Hardened by recent events
Last known: Survives Vale; gains Bronn; sent to capital politics

Allies

Bronn, Jaime Lannister

Threats

Cersei Lannister, Tywin Lannister

Samwell Tarly

alive

Steward brother

Loc. Castle Black

Motivation: Advance personal and factional stakes
Emotional state: Hardened by recent events
Last known: Jon's closest friend in the Watch

Allies

Jon Snow

Arya Stark

alive

Fugitive Stark daughter

Loc. Fleeing south / Yoren's caravan path

Motivation: Advance personal and factional stakes
Emotional state: Hardened by recent events
Last known: Escapes after Ned's death with Needle

Allies

Yoren, Gendry (soon)

Threats

Lannister searchers

Petyr Baelish

Littlefinger

alive

Master of Coin; schemer

Loc. King's Landing

Motivation: Advance personal and factional stakes
Emotional state: Hardened by recent events
Last known: Betrays Ned; holds knives in the dark

Threats

Ned Stark, Varys

Varys

alive

Master of Whisperers

Loc. King's Landing

Motivation: Advance personal and factional stakes
Emotional state: Hardened by recent events
Last known: Plays for the realm's stability as he defines it

Threats

Cersei Lannister, Petyr Baelish

Robert Baratheon

alive

King

Loc. King's Landing (dead)

Motivation: Advance personal and factional stakes
Emotional state: Hardened by recent events
Last known: Died from the boar; succession detonated (early/mid map: later fate not applied yet)

Allies

Ned Stark

Threats

Lannisters

Hodor

alive

Stableboy / protector

Loc. Winterfell

Motivation: Advance personal and factional stakes
Emotional state: Hardened by recent events
Last known: Carries Bran; only word is his name

Allies

Bran Stark

Daenerys Targaryen

Mhysa later · Khaleesi

alive

Sold to Drogo

Loc. Pentos / Dothraki path

Motivation: Advance personal and factional stakes
Emotional state: Hardened by recent events
Last known: Married into khalasar

Allies

Jorah Mormont, Jorah

Threats

Viserys

Jorah Mormont

alive

Exile advisor

Loc. With Daenerys

Motivation: Advance personal and factional stakes
Emotional state: Hardened by recent events
Last known: Loyal to Dany; former spy secret later

Allies

Daenerys Targaryen

Bronn

alive

Sellsword

Loc. With Tyrion

Motivation: Advance personal and factional stakes
Emotional state: Hardened by recent events
Last known: Bought loyalty; trial by combat winner

Allies

Tyrion Lannister

Continuity web

Relationship map

Ink diagram of who is bound, opposed, or entangled as of the cutoff (End of S01E04 "Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things"). Click a name to pin. Edge labels appear on focus.

20 figures42/42 ties shownhub: Ned (11)

Hover or click any figure to open their tie dossier. Hostile and tense ties carry direction marks. Secret ties are dashed.

Open threads

Story continues from cutoff

high

All facts above end at S01E04. S01E05 is not included.

Who cares: you

Path to now

S1 through E3

Progress marker E3

Ned arrives as Hand; investigates Jon Arryn's death.

S1 through E4

Current season path

Last episode watched: Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things. Next: The Wolf and the Lion.

World state

Iron Throne under Joffrey/Cersei with Lannister military backing
Treat later-season institutional collapses as unknown until you pass them.
North in open rebellion
World pressure at mid-Season 1 is the baseline for the remaining episodes.

Constrained desk chat

Temporal RAG over this pack only. No model calls. No post-cutoff index rows exist.

Desk · Cutoff desk open. I only know this show through End of S01E04 "Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things". Ask about characters, threads, or events before that line. I will refuse anything later.

Spoiler-free to End of S01E04 "Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things"

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