Game of Thrones leaves no character unscathed. Each season, the show's epic roster of characters is changed irrevocably by their experiences - and every year, the casualty count gets higher.
But who came out of the fantasy drama's latest season - its fifth - the best? Which cast member impressed you the most in 2015? In short, who won Game of Thrones this year?
We've had our say - and you can too by voting in our poll at the bottom of this feature, and by sharing your thoughts in the comments section below:
Tyrion Lannister - David Moynihan, Editor
Show creator George RR Martin rightly calls Peter Dinklage "an amazing, amazing actor," who has "done an incredible job of bringing Tyrion to life". He also confirms that the quick-witted Lannister is "one of the most popular characters in the books".
You'd be hard-pressed to find a more engaging figure in Game of Thrones, who despite his small stature has an unrivalled ability to fill the screen.
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We've seen him drunk and distraught, merry and flirtatious, brave in battle and sentenced to death by his own family. In season five, he faced the indignity of almost being sold to a "cock merchant" who would buy a lucky dwarf penis.
The difficult journey to Daenerys has happened rapidly - certainly compared to the lengthier ordeal in the books. But despite his many trials and tribulations, Tyrion remains an essentially good man at heart and one whose humour and morality viewers root for in the face of so much wanton greed and destruction. The path ahead for him looks very exciting indeed.
Jorah Mormont - Matt Hill, Deputy Editor
The gravelly voiced sighs, the forehead-crinkling anguish, the "still got it" sword fighting: Jorah truly came of age in season five.
If his earlier incarnation as Exposition Man had made him an easy character to lampoon, explaining all of Game of Thrones' strange happenings to Daenerys (and the audience) in real-time like some overly earnest walking encyclopaedia, this last season saw his character arc become truly fascinating,
Being exposed as the informant and traitor he was seemed to bring out the best in our man, resulting in a desperate, season-long bid for redemption that included kidnapping Tyrion, being sold into slavery and kicking lots of lots of ass.
Of course, these hopes were dashed at first - this is Game of Thrones - and the look on the his stubble-strewn face after he finally got his audience with Daenerys, only to be banished from her city once more, was enough to break your heart. But his unexpected return to favour as her defender was a rare moment of human kindness in possibly the bleakest season yet.
Arya Stark - Kate Goodacre, Chief Sub-Editor
Five seasons into Game of Thrones, and Arya Stark is still as fascinating as ever. What's been most interesting to watch this season has been her struggle to cast away her past life and identity in order to join a band of fearsome assassins known as the Faceless Men.
Playing the Game of Faces forces Arya to embrace some of her greatest challenges yet. She has to master the art of lying convincingly as a part of becoming 'no-one'. In fact, she gets so good at lying that when she spies Meryn Trant, one of the prime targets on her kill list, she tries to pull the wool over Jaqen's eyes in order to dispatch the man she blames for Syrio's apparent demise.
The biggest challenge of all for Arya though is to channel her rage effectively. She doesn't quite succeed, and her brutal murder of Trant is difficult to watch - not only because it's so bloody and graphic, but also because you know there are going to be terrible consequences as all that pain and fury rises to the surface.
We leave Arya blind and frightened at the end of season five, but no less determined. She's nothing if not resourceful, and I can't wait to find out how she rises to Jaqen's latest challenge.
Jon Snow - Lewis Corner, Music Editor
We should all know by now that doing the right and honourable thing in Westeros doesn't necessarily mean you'll be popular. In fact, Jon Snow was probably the most noble he has ever been throughout season five, yet there he is in the final scene getting stabbed in the back (well, in the front, actually) by his Night's Watch comrades.
In a world where a father burns his own daughter for potential political advancement, or a religious leader can enforce some truly barbarous medieval slut-shaming, Jon risked his life beyond The Wall to attempt to rescue a group of people who despise him, but got a bloody hard time for doing so. OK, so he didn't manage to save all of the Wildlings, but he sure caught the piercing blue eyes of the Night's King after shattering a White Walker with Valyrian steel.
Like most of the internet after that brutal, gut-wrenching final scene of season five, I can't bring myself to believe that Jon Snow is completely gone. There's too much mythology surrounding his parentage for him to be written out just as the stakes reach the life-threatening heights of that imposing Wall.
And it's the constant mystery surrounding Jon's history that makes him the most compelling character, but one that, in a land of dragons, zombies and dark magic, remains grounded and humane with his heart in the right place - even if it does have a dagger-pierced hole through it now. Damn you Olly, you little shit.
Bronn - Tom Eames, Entertainment Reporter
Jerome Flynn continues to play one of the most kick-ass characters on Game of Thrones, and just when you thought his storylines may be about to dry up, he rises once again.
His partnership with Tyrion was one of the best pairings on the show in previous seasons, but his newfound friendship with Jaime is almost better. Helping the Kingslayer to get back to fitness following his hand removal, the pair's adventures together would make a great TV series in itself.
Throw in some excellent flirting with the Sand Snakes and generally being bloody awesome, Bronn is a character that simply must survive until the end. Though, that's probably the kiss of death right there.
Shireen Baratheon - Ben Lee, Entertainment Reporter
Curse you, writers. You killed off one of the sweetest characters on your show.
Anyone who knows me can tell you that I'm conflicted about Game of Thrones. Sure, the scope of the world and the storytelling is impressive, but it's difficult for me to find people to root for. Shireen is one of the rare exceptions. Innocent and caring, the Princess became a favourite of mine this season as she was afforded more screen time and depth... although yes, this was also done to make her death all the more gut-wrenchingly tragic.
The backstory of her greyscale. Her friendship with Davos. Her acts of kindness (teaching the illiterate Gilly, for example). Shireen is the last person in this cruel, unfair universe who deserves the fate that she received. She even told her father that she would do anything to help, before she realised what his plans were. That's the person Shireen was.
Basically, Stannis is dead to me now.
The Night's King - Tom Mansell, Video Production Manager
Lines, screen time? Who need 'em? When it comes to stealing the show, all you need is an army of undead and the most awesome display of power we've seen so far in Game of Thrones.
In a show coloured with more shades of grey than a dulux chart, The Night's King is a proper villain. His power is absolute, his minions undyingly loyal (pun intended) and he looks cool too (no pun intended).
The scene where he raised the dead on the shores of Hardhome will go down as one of the iconic moments of Game of Thrones, and in a season that has underwhelmed at times, the Night's King is one of the few things that left me desperate for more. You can't beat a good baddie.
Olenna Tyrell - Andy Joannou, Audience Development Manager
Let's be honest: everyone loves the matriarch of House Tyrell. No-nonsense, sharp-tongued and full of witty one-liners portrayed brilliantly by Dame Diana Rigg.
Returning from Highgarden after learning of her grandson's arrest, her first dialogue of the season had me cheering at the screen: opening the window of her carriage before proclaiming that you could "smell the sh*t from five miles away".
They say when playing the Game of Thrones you win or you die, but the Lady Olenna - or Queen of Thorns to some - is playing it with such manipulation that it makes me wonder why anyone else is even trying.
The Queen of Thorns has been a breath of fresh air in every scene. There's something alluring about such a complex character that has the best interests of her family at heart but with the political knowledge and in a position of power to make things happen.
It's not often the Lady Olenna is left speechless, whether that's in an excellent verbal spat with Cersei or in a mesmerising scene with the High Sparrow, all I know is that all shall regret crossing her and I'll be watching and waiting.
Prince Doran Martell - David Upton, Audience Development Executive
Season five's dalliance with the kingdom of Dorne had largely been derided, and with good reason: it was driven by the black-and-white vengeance of Ellaria Sand (Indira Varma), and not enough time was spent on the motivations of her Sand Snake daughters or the long absent Myrcella Lannister (Nell Tiger Free) for the audience to really care about what happened to any of them.
But at the helm of the Dorne throne was an oasis of cool, calm intelligence: Doran Martell, played by Star Trek: Deep Space Nine vet Alexander Siddig.
Restricted to a wheelchair (apparently by a severe cast of gout), Doran wields more power from his seat than Ellaria can with her whirling band of followers; she's ultimately forced to the most tragic of measures to exact her revenge. Doran's control of his sister-in-law may not be complete, but the moments where he exercises his superiority over her with his firm, softly threatening voice were genuinely arresting amidst a chaotic storyline.
Siddig brought instant gravity to a new Thrones locale, using very limited screentime to hint at a wealth of unexplored political and personal dynamics which will hopefully be revisited come season six.
Who was your favourite Game of Thrones character in season five? Vote in our poll and have your say in the comments section:
