The Lonely Lioness - Cersei Lannister Quest
- Thread starter Azel
- Start date
- Mature
- Location
- Who knows?
[X] Plan: Stabilization
Kir the Wizard
The Sun King
- Location
- Ukraine
Not ready to vote yet, though, I'll say, just giving up Selyse and Shireen to Stannis and hoping he Nedstarks his way into making up with us will NOT work. This is a man, who got a prophetical epiphany about being the true savior of the world, and yet STILL, apparently, decided to send shadow assassins after Joffrey. He is STILL not a nice guy, and, even though he dumped his crown, has even less respect for us than for that crown, and has fanatical followers who witnessed a magical epiphany. AT LEAST try to send letters before just giving up prisoners to the guy who started this whole war and threw the taint of bastardry upon our children. Let Selyse (who is a Florent, by the way) sit in our noble quarters for a while, and have Shireen socialize with our kids. Negotiate to find out if Stannis considers it valuable to treat for their return first.
And even if this gambit works, and Stannis just Nedstarks his way to the Wall, there is still the matter of actually taking back the Stormlands.
On the matter of trade with Essos: other than Braavos, everyone seems to be either already in, or on the verge of bloody war with Targs all around. Maybe specify the focus on Braavos, who's already our partial partner.
But, honestly, this looks more and more like a failed path, because the army we were counting on is now our prime enemy, and also somehow caused the northern civil war cases just via diplomacy, WITHOUT the actual huge setbacks that made canon Freys and Boltons amiable to throwing in with Tywin. I am not sure how Tywin is diplomancing them so well, unless he is pretending that the king is under his control, and he is the lawful regent, while the queen has gone mad, the proof being Pycell's letters about the shade of the evening. UNLESS Varys is lying, and Tywin actually has the king on hand, but I think he'd parade him around if that was the case.
And even if this gambit works, and Stannis just Nedstarks his way to the Wall, there is still the matter of actually taking back the Stormlands.
On the matter of trade with Essos: other than Braavos, everyone seems to be either already in, or on the verge of bloody war with Targs all around. Maybe specify the focus on Braavos, who's already our partial partner.
But, honestly, this looks more and more like a failed path, because the army we were counting on is now our prime enemy, and also somehow caused the northern civil war cases just via diplomacy, WITHOUT the actual huge setbacks that made canon Freys and Boltons amiable to throwing in with Tywin. I am not sure how Tywin is diplomancing them so well, unless he is pretending that the king is under his control, and he is the lawful regent, while the queen has gone mad, the proof being Pycell's letters about the shade of the evening. UNLESS Varys is lying, and Tywin actually has the king on hand, but I think he'd parade him around if that was the case.
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- Location
- Germany
Without Ned Starks death as a cause to rally around, the North / Riverlands army was much less cohesive. Other than that, there was a bunch of stuff happening in the background and Tywin was just the one who made the right offers at the right time to capitalise.
- Location
- Lake Wobegon
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
[X] Plan: Stabilization
[X] Plan: Tick-Tock-Tywin
[X] Plan: Aid for Friends, Food for the People
Approval voting
[X] Plan: Tick-Tock-Tywin
[X] Plan: Aid for Friends, Food for the People
Approval voting
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GildedSergeant
Tarnished Gold and Rattling Bones
- Location
- Over There
- Pronouns
- They/Them
That's, uh, too many kings. Someone should do something about that
Anyways, I really like Plan: Stabilization but have made a couple changes. First, I replace price limits on food with extra trade; price limits help the poor but don't actually increase the amount of food in the city, which additional trading does. I also keep part of the fleet at home unlike other plans which deploy them, ensuring an opportunistic actor with a fleet can't sail right in to KL. Lastly, I add some letters.
One to Lord Manderly for diplomatic purposes. A second to Robb Stark offering to transport his host north to White Harbor using our ships. He's been refused passage through the Bloody Gate, his home is being burned, and he has no way to fight all the home through the Riverlands. In short, he is very much incentivized to take our offer. Lastly, a letter asking to parley with Stannis. We know something is up with him camping in the Kingswood with only 3000 men, it makes sense we'd at least try to learn more. We'll also offer to bring a letter from Selyse and Shireen, hopefully earning some goodwill and pleasing his honorable nature.
[X] Plan: Aid for Friends, Food for the People
-[X] Promote trade with the Free Cities to get more supplies and gold for the war effort.
--[X] Send the Redwyne fleet to protect trade and deal with the pirates, starting with those based in the Three Sisters. The remaining Royal Fleet will protect remain within Blackwater Bay to protect King's Landing from any unexpected attacks. The transport vessels will be present to ferry men to the Three Sisters attack, but will not be present for other anti-pirate actions. They will carry 3x light infantry and 1x archers from Cersei's host.
-[X] Counter the Westerlander raiders in the Crownlands. (Randyll Tarly)
--[X] Instruct Tarly that his primary objective is to find the king and return him safely to King's landing it at all possible. Secondary objectives including capturing/killing Gregor Clegane and any bandits they come across, but he should remain weary of Tywin's large numbers and avoid bleeding his force unnecessarily.
-[X] Name new Kingsguard
--[X] Garth Hightower
--[X] Harwynn Plumm
--[X] Have a quick conversation which each of them, preferably after watching them practice. If one/both seems incapable or unreliable, leave their slot open for now instead of offering it to them.
-[X] Write Letters:
--[X] Write to Lord Manderly that the fleet will soon sail to restore safety to the seas, particularly against the pirates of the Three Sisters. The intent is essentially to improve our perception among northerners and inform him that our intentions are friendly.
--[X] Ask Edmure to write a letter to Robb Stark and Bynden Tully as the Hand of the King. Inform them of our plans to eliminate the pirates preying upon White Harbor. Given that Lysa Tully is unlikely bend to reason, offer to use our ships to ferry them from a port such as Wickenden or Saltpans (whichever is more practical) to White Harbor where they can defeat the raiders under Ramsay and reclaim Winterfell. From there if all goes well, they could march on the relatively undefended Twins, or proceed as the changing situation demands.
--[X] Write to Stannis informing him that his wife and daughter were unharmed in the battles on Dragonstone, and that they remain safe and comfortable in our care (earnest reassurance, not a veiled threat). Ask to parley; we wish to know his goals and if we may come to an amicable agreement to protect the peace of the realm. Offer to bring a letter from his wife and daughter each if parley is established.
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[X] Plan: Aid for Friends, Food for the People
- Location
- Lake Wobegon
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Added an approval vote for this.
And regardless of the name of the war, we are of course all aware that there is but one true King.
- Location
- Lake Wobegon
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Although @GildedSergeant , it doesn't make too terribly much sense to me to have our transport ships on anti-pirate duty. Just detach units of proper combat ships.
GildedSergeant
Tarnished Gold and Rattling Bones
- Location
- Over There
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Good point, I'll specify that the transports are only for the attack, not the rest of the anti-piracy fighting. @Azel do we have an idea of how many men it would take to take the sisters, or failing that how many fighting men are on the islands? I'm assuming we don't need a full 6k due to their small size, but I'm not sure how many fighters islands of those size can maintain.
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- Location
- Germany
You have no idea. Varys has no real intel from the area.
GildedSergeant
Tarnished Gold and Rattling Bones
- Location
- Over There
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Gotcha. For now I'll put down 3x light infantry and 1x archers from Cersei's host, but if anyone has a different recommendation I'm all ears. The sisters are smaller holdings so that should be a sizable amount and I don't want to leave KL under-defended.
- Location
- Lake Wobegon
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
You may wish to rephrase this as "Plan: Aid for Friends, Food for the People". At the moment your vote is counted separately from the rest of those for this plan.
I do understand why people want to make peace with Stannis. He's a fan favorite and it is a logical choice, given our current predicament. At the same time, that little crazy voice in the back of my head really wants to see if we can kill the Chosen One. And also, it just feels a bit off to me making peace with Stannis when he tried to assassinate our son and murdered our lover. If Cersei knew about that, I imagine she would hunt him down to the end of the world.
And hey, before we were discussing if kings blood was magical or not. Just imagine what crazy stuff we could pull off if we got our hands on the blood and flesh of Azor Ahai.
And hey, before we were discussing if kings blood was magical or not. Just imagine what crazy stuff we could pull off if we got our hands on the blood and flesh of Azor Ahai.
- Location
- Who knows?
[X] Plan: Aid for Friends, Food for the People
[X] Plan: Stabilization
[X] Plan: Stabilization
Interlude - The Lost Son
- Location
- Germany
Interlude - The Lost Son
Harrenhal was a drafty place. And leaky too. Even in the midst of Harvest Season, when the rains were lightest, there was still the constant drip of brackish water somewhere in the dilapidated towers. Though, for all Tyrion knew, there were just some rooms up in the molten towers where the water gathered in Hearth Season and then served as a reservoir to sustain the dripping for the entire year. He had half a mind to clamber up there and check. See where the noises were coming from and then work back from there to solve the issue at the root. It surely did not do the moldy old stones any good if this was kept up.
He suspect he would not have the time to do so though. It had been a fortnight that his father had ignored him after he finally made his way over the mountains and to a friendly banner, but now he had been summoned and, good little heir that he was, he would do as bidden. His mood soured as he kept climbing up the stairs to the room his father had chosen to lair in. Heir. Even though he had been that for so many years, he never felt it. Jaime was heir. Tywin Lannisters golden boy, adored by all. Somehow, he was certain, his father would finagle him out of his oaths and make him inherit Casterly Rock. But no amount of gold could someone back from the strangers realm. The ache of knowing that still would not lessen.
Pushing open the rickety wooden, splintered old oak patched over with whatever had been at hand a at the time, he found the Lord Paramount of the Westerlands as one usually did these days. Hunched over a map, scribbling notes on a wax tablet laying next to him. "You asked for me, father." Tywin only made a vague noise in return, still engrossed in his work, so Tyrion seated himself.
"You are earlier than expected," he finally said in response.
"The ladies of the night were all busy, so I had no one to get tangled in the sheets with," Tyrion japed and got no answer. "Maybe I should send some riders out to gather more? I'm sure a great whore raid will lift spirits!"
The steady scratching of the pen stopped and finally Tyrion had his full attention. "You will have to become more discrete with these things. Talk of potential bastards would not be much of a problem when you have a trueborn heir, but your bannermen thinking you might be having dalliances with their wives and daughters can be dangerous." It was not a reprimand. Not a condescending lecture. For all intends and purposes, it sounded as if his father was giving him good advice.
The thoughts of Jaime had made him sad, now Tyrion was also bewildered. "Not telling me to stop?" He asked almost weakly.
"That has not helped before and time is running short." Tywin turned back to his map, absentmindedly tracing a route between Saltpans and the Bloody Gate on it as he spoke. "I was always hoping your... appetites... would become more moderated as you aged or married. We will have to settle for hiding them better."
"No more alternatives to the Imp, I suppose." He tried to make it sound like a funny joke, though he could not keep his sadness out of his voice.
The pen stopped mid stroke. His father did not look up again, but there was some heat in his voice as he spoke. "You are still my son. A Lannister. Not some creature I picked up in the gutter."
Tyrion made a doubtful sound in response. "Could have fooled me. Remember when you had me muck the gutters of Lannisport?"
"And as a true Lannister should, you excelled at that task." The answer came immediately, before Tywin looked pensively at the map again. "Jaime never had a hand for administration. He would have been a Lord Lannister without peer in an age of war and conquest, but not in a peaceful realm."
It was perhaps the first time that he had heard his father say something like this. Praise him. Criticize Jaime. It almost sounded as if he was glad that it would be Tyrion who would inherit Casterly Rock. "The world must be ending for you to say such things."
"It all but is," he spoke in a resigned tone. "All those years of hard work and maneuvering, and now your sister has thrown it all away. And I can't even say for sure why."
Standing up on the too small chair, Tyrion had his own look at the map. Plenty of Lannister figurines were standing over the Riverlands. "I thought a botched poisoning drove her mad?"
Putting the tablet aside, Tywin got up and went for a cabinet nearby. He returned with two goblets and a bottle of wine from Crakehall that he began to pour them as he talked. "That's just the half-lie I told our bannermen. According to Pycelles last letters before she had his tongue cut out and hung him in a cage from the Red Keep, she had taken to drink Shade of the Evening. I presume that is what caused her bizarre obsession with the Tullys. I presume it was the last favor he has done to me. To a friend of the house."
"To a friend of the house," Tyrion replied as they clinked their cups together. For once his father had not even watered down the wine. "What now? You are a traitor and Cersei is mad. And the Ironborn are tearing up the Westerlands."
"All in due time. We will find a way to depose Cersei without further tarnishing the name Lannister. For now we will deal with the most urgent issues." He drank another sip before pointing back to the map. "I will be moving to the Bloody Gate and shatter what is left of the Stark and Tully host. Word from Riverrun is that the siege will not last much longer. Then the Riverlands are almost fully under our control. The Freys and Boltons can take care of the rest."
Glancing over the map, it was indeed almost over. Raventree Hall was invested too. Wayfarers Rest had yielded just a day ago. That left only Seaguard and Darry as major keeps. "How did you even manage to turn these two?"
"An army without a goal is worth little. One with contradictory goals is even worse." Tywin gestured to the Bloody Gate and the black fish and white direwolf heads standing there. "Robb Stark was set on avenging his fathers honor, even though he had taken the black and the matter was closed. Catelyn Stark still blames us for her sons accident, even though she has no proof. Most lords just wished to return home instead of indulging them. I made some offers and sensible people saw their chance to avoid dying for a pointless cause."
Knowing his father, those offers included a healthy amount of Casterly Rocks gold and some promises on top. He was born a dwarf, not deaf or stupid. Roose Bolton and Black Walder Frey were acting like Lords Paramount already. It was clear what their price had been. Wondering why he had been summoned, Tyrion studied the map further. "Tarly is marching against the Mountain," he noted after a moment. "I presume you want me to keep an eye on him?"
"No, that is Kevans duty. I need an experienced commander to preserve our riders against Tarly." Tywins eyes glanced to the other side of the map.
Tyrion took a deep gulp of his wine, finding it empty far too soon. "You want me to relieve Casterly Rock and Lannisport."
"Only the former. I have given orders to empty the cities larders into Casterly Rock and yield it. It would not have held much longer and this way the castle will readily sustain itself for one season more." He spoke dispassionately about the matter. As if he was explaining his reasoning for the pick of the wine he had served Tyrion.
"They will sack Lannisport," Tyrion pointed out carefully.
"It can be rebuild," the same flat voice answered him. "The real wealth of the Westerlands always was in the mines. As long as there is gold under Casterly Rock, we can rebuild the city. But we can't undo the shame of losing our seat to Balon Greyjoy. A Lord Paramount has to set priorities."
"Of course," he said in an equally flat tone. It was still his father, all other oddities of this reunion aside. The house came first and no price was too high to ensure its prestige was not tarnished. Which was what began to drive him uncomfortable. "Why me?" He asked quietly, almost whispered.
"Because you will be Lord Paramount Tyrion Lannister when I am with the Stranger." There was oddly enough to resignation his fathers voice as he said that. No pride either, but Tyrion was content with what he had. "Raising a new army in the Westerlands to free our home is a good way to get the bannermen used to the idea. And to prove yourself once more."
He studied the map for a while longer, dread, hope and ideas mingling in his mind as he read names of places and houses. Sarsfield, Lefford and Brax. Letters to Marbrand, Lyden and Sarwyck. A plan was slowly forming. "I hope I can raise to the challenge you set me, father."
Tywin answered without the slightest moment of hesitation. "I know you will." And the worst part was that Tyrion was certain that he meant it.
AN: Lot's of stuff happening all around. Probably will need two more interludes to cover the most important bits.
Ah, interesting Tyrion seems to be... getting along with his father, as much as those two can. You know it occurs to me that with Jaimie dead there is no one who can reveal the thing that sent Tyrion over the edge in canon. I doubt he would believe those guards, if they are even still alive and would be inclined to confess such a thing.