Who to Follow on the 'Game of Thrones' Map

You think Game of Thrones on HBO is complicated? Wait until you read the books. The houses, lands, and numerous minor characters to keep track of is enough to make your head spin. Fortunately, now we have the Internet to come to our rescue. An adventurous coder has taken a fan-made map (that has the George R.R. Martin stamp of approval) and used the Google Maps API to make a Game of Thrones map interactive. So now, not only can you see where the houses are located, you can see which houses own what land and even the paths that the characters take during the novels. Best of all, there's a slider where you can adjust how far along you are in the books or the television series to keep from seeing spoilers.

All in all, it's a pretty helpful tool. But how should you use it as a companion for the newest season of Game of Thrones? Here's a few characters to keep track of as they go on long and winding journeys this season. If you've only seen the show or read the books through A Clash of Kings, be warned, there be spoilers here.

Sansa Stark

As seen in the last episode of Game of Thrones, Sansa is offered an opportunity to flee. And flee she will, all the way to her aunt's place at the Eyrie. It's sort of difficult to place locations in Westeros when they're only words on a page or scenes on a screen, so check out the map, because the Eyrie is a long ass boat trip away from King's Landing. Sansa's journey may not be as winding as it is long, but it does inspire another journey...

Brienne of Tarth

We've already seen Brienne's concern for Jamie's oath to Catelyn Stark in the show. Jamie won't be leaving King's Landing to keep his oath, but he will send Brienne in his stead once Sansa flees. And of course Brienne, stubborn as a mule, won't stop in her quest to find Sansa...although she's overwhelmingly wrong about the girl's location, and ends up on a long and winding journey meeting a slew of interesting and downright sketchy characters.

Arya Stark

Arya's journey with the Hound is great to watch...the pair's reluctant affection for one another make them a good team. They'll go a long way together, but eventually, Arya will strike out on her own for Braavos...and that's when things start to get pretty weird.

Bran Stark

It's frustrating to watch the Stark children drift further and further apart from one another, but Bran has an interesting journey ahead of him. It's a long way, but Bran's headed for far beyond the Wall to find out the true depth of his powers. It may just seem like a lot of walking now, but he'll be meeting some pretty significant characters on his journey.

Stannis Baratheon

Finally, someone who understands the true importance of the phrase "Winter is coming"! It's not just a Stark thing, y'all! Stannis is the one person who's thrown his hat into the game of thrones who sends aid to the Wall. And not just any aid, either...he goes there personally. There's a battle brewing in the North, and not just from the Wildlings...