That whole concept is hard to address when Stannis has exhibited thinking in terms of a conservative ruler who understands the feudal obligation aspect of governance in Westeros and hasn't given much thought to administration as a coherent entity or institution rather than stemming directly from each act of a lord directing those subject to his rule.
It would probably take explaining how we organize our provinces and the bureaucracy, as well as the rather broad and pretty much absolute power our military gets to exercise, being a standing force that fulfills the previous role that high lords had under Aegon's system with lords petitioning their lord to resolve a dispute in their stead instead of going to war over it. Now the Crown fulfills that responsibility for the most part, and also takes care of the implicit threat of intervention should it become necessary, but all of these concepts are rather foreign. While I'm sure armies have been mobilized for nearly as long as we've held together a standing force of our current size, right now they would be demobilizing, just about, rather than rapidly expanding in size and scope, and the same could be said for propagation of officials who take care of basic functions many Lords either sometimes fulfilled, rarely fulfilled if the whim struck them, or never bothered with.
All of this combined can only paradoxically occur if we break the back of armed resistance stemming from lords rallying around one liege whom they owe direct fealty to, as that liege will, for many, many more Lords, be toward Viserys himself, with arrangements chosen to make it as difficult as possible to put together an armed coalition in defiance of the Law as many will be favored in status by us, or placed into unfavorable position once things shake out.
You let out a long sigh, not quite able to hold back your relief. Somewhere along the line, from that day aboard the Fury to this moment, you had come to count Stannis Baratheon among the very best lords of Westeros, not for any spark of genius but for the sheer unwavering determination to his duty, the same determination that would have forced you to kill him had he chosen differently. "You have your duty here in the Stormlands, my lord, to rule well and to protect your people. As your king, it is my responsibility to help you in this." Glad you are to say the words and glad is the lord of Storm's End to hear them, though you have little doubt he would have raised his banners at once if asked, no matter how unwise the choice, or how much it would still pain him.
He nods firmly, though his next words are uncharacteristically hesitant: "Who else has sworn to you Your Grace?" Who are my fellow traitors? he might as well have asked, for unlike many other lords you have little doubt he counts himself a traitor, if one with cause great enough for the sin.
You suspect he worries also that you would not trust him with the names, given the newness of his vow, but that could not be further from your thoughts. You would have to fail as much as your father or Robert for him to ever ponder a third betrayal and that shall never come to pass. "Here," you draw out a plain ring of smooth stone so dark it seems to swallow the light that falls upon it. "This will keep your thoughts safe from eavesdroppers and guarded from compulsion, as well as preventing the Golden Shields or anyone else from divining your decisions."
Dany surreptitiously places her right hand upon the desk to show she too wears the ring's twin, though it seems Stannis requires no reassurance placing it upon his finger at once only asking. "How much do these cost?"
"Twenty two thousand marks and requiring the work of a mage of the eight circle for weeks," you reply, quashing any hopes that they might be used on some wider scale. "I would have far fewer of them were it not for trade with the Opaline Vault and Armun Kelisk..." From there it does not take you long to explain why the value of gold might continue to fall when trading with a city that can use it for paving stone
Soon enough, however, you return to his first question, naming the lords high and low who have sworn to you, in many cases only confirming his suspicions, though as you go over the Houses of the Reach, you see a glimmer of relief in his eye that the Tyrells are spoken of so late and their only oath was not to fight you, itself far from a certain prospect. The irony of of trusting the man who had held Storm's End for the rebels a thousand times more than you do the 'loyalist' who had besieged him escapes no one in the room, though it is Maester Cressen who shows it the most, a brief but heartfelt smile of satisfaction upon his aged face.
Alas, he does not have long to bask in his vindication for along with news of the grain bubble that will burst over Westeros this season and the possibility that Tywin is binding not only his mages with geas but his vassal lords also, comes the advice not to blindly trust those the Citadel. You recount the the poisoning of Lord Brune and what you had learned after from the traitor Maester. You have to keep back what Pycelle had shared for now, for that would require admitting the Grand Maester has become your pawn, which comes too close in turn to revealing 'Varys' allegiance. There are some secrets you cannot share outside of your Companions until the Red Keep is yours... and others you are genuinely worried about revealing for Stannis' own peace of mind.
As you meet your mother's worried gaze, she shakes her head ever so slightly, agreeing with your judgement to not yet reveal the Lannister incest. If there is one thing that could drive Stannis into doing something foolish in a rage, it is the revelation of how blind his elder bother has been to his very legacy being stolen. Best leave that for another day when he is more at peace with his decision and his place in the world.
Instead talk of sorcery handing out copies of books that might aid him an his trusted agents in finding Daemons, Far-Spawn, Wintersworn and the living dead. Cressen takes the books with eager hands, even managing a jest: "Ser Davos might be a touch daunted for all the reading he will have to do."
"He will do his duty as we all must," Stannis replies, in what might seem to be missing the point entirely where it not for a slight softening of his gaze. He understands what the maester is doing, appreciates it even, he just cannot find it in himself to smile at the words.
In return, the Lord of Storm's End gives you an accounting of the sorcerers he and the changeling Renly before him had managed to gather, both from the wreck of the Alchemist's Guild and from scouring the land for hedge witches and maegi new-come into their power.
Survivors of the Guild and their Apprentices
1 Alchemist level 8
2 Alchemists level 5
5 Alchemists level 3
7 Alchemists level 1
Minor Mages
4 Hedge Mages level 5
7 Hedge mages level 4
12 Hedge mages level 2
15 Hedge mages level 1
Fifteen alchemists, eight of them survivors of the guild... On one hand you are glad to hear of them. The production lines of Royce Alchemical Works could always use more supervisors, on the other hand you trust Denys Trainer's students considerably more than you do those taught by 'The Most Venerable Order of Pyromancers'. You are tempted to interrogate all of them, but you suspect Stannis would take badly to that sort of instant distrust of men he had counted loyal enough to accept beneath his roof.
"Excellent," you nod instead. "With that many alchemists no one should look in askance at an influx of alchemical works over the coming weeks and months if it is kept to a reasonable rate, though other sorcerous workings might still prove troublesome."
In the end Stannis accepts as many healing belts and amulets of warding as you can hand out. For secrecy's sake he chooses simple enchanted steel over adamantine and Valyrian steel, even for himself, causing Maester Cressen to look at once proud and faintly scandalized. As you also present the Whispering Brazier that is to be the connection between Storm's End and the Deep you make a mental note to present Stannis with a Valyrian steel blade wrought for his hand in particular on the day his alliance need no longer remain secret.
12 Healing belts
12 PfE Rings
12 Weapons and armor +1 (New Forged)
1 Whispering Brazier
1 Ring of Mind Blank
What do you do next?
[] Ask about the state of the Stromlands in light of the recent change in power, who would Stannis trust and who might need more persuasion to remain loyal
[] Discuss the matter of the Storm God and his desire to return to Storm's End
[] Write in
OOC: Calligraphy wyrm and phoenix have been left out for now since I want Shireen and Selyse preset for that scene.
Yeah talking with Stannis about our plans to break up the kingdoms into smaller regions might be ... difficult. He is the Lord Paramount of the Stormlands. In canon, one of his biggest issues with Robert was the fact that Renly got Storm's End/became Lord Paramount of the Stormlands even though it was Stannis who led its defense against all odds. Now we got him to betray his King and Brother and once again he'll be "rewarded" by us taking away his Lord Paramouncy. Not sure yet how we want to frame that to avoid him growing resentful.
Yeah talking with Stannis about our plans to break up the kingdoms into smaller regions might be ... difficult. He is the Lord Paramount of the Stormlands. In canon, one of his biggest issues with Robert was the fact that Renly got Storm's End/became Lord Paramount of the Stormlands even though it was Stannis who led its defense against all odds. Now we got him to betray his King and Brother and once again he'll be "rewarded" by us taking away his Lord Paramouncy. Not sure yet how we want to frame that to avoid him growing resentful.
Cant we just set his Governorship as hereditary? Weve got that option right? We dont seem to be cutting it up much either, maybe barely skimming the edges. At that point point it's just a name change for the title.
With a different set of final Laws mandating far higher competence and lack of corruption. But that sounds like the opposite of a problem when trying to convince Stannis of it. Governors suck at their job or become despotic? They lose their jobs. Failure to carry out ones duty seems them lose their mandate. Simple really.
The rest of the Lord Paramounts losing a lot more? Lack of competence and corruption seeing their charge reduced.
Cant we just set his Governorship as hereditary? Weve got that option right? We dont seem to be cutting it up much either, maybe barely skimming the edges. At that point point it's just a name change for the title.
With a different set of final Laws mandating far higher competence and lack of corruption. But that sounds like the opposite of a problem when trying to convince Stannis of it. Governors suck at their job or become despotic? They lose their jobs. Failure to carry out ones duty seems them lose their mandate. Simple really.
The rest of the Lord Paramounts losing a lot more? Lack of competence and corruption seeing their charge reduced.
Certainly you guys can have hereditary positions, you even have them at this very moment like with Oberyn, the issue @Crake and @UmeII are talking about is dividing the Stromlands when it has been in this state since Aegon's day, and making that division just after Stannis made faced great personal turmoil to support Viserys.
@Crake should we ask Stannis if he wants his leg regen'd or if happy with enchanted golden replacement?
Also, are we paranoid enough to check said leg for any surprises since it came from Lannisters and for all we know there is a eavesdropper spell on it that lets them hear all of the conversations he has had?
@Crake should we ask Stannis if he wants his leg regen'd or if happy with enchanted golden replacement?
Also, are we paranoid enough to check said leg for any surprises since it came from Lannisters and for all we know there is a eavesdropper spell on it that lets them hear all of the conversations he has had?
Anyway, I think the best way of approaching the Storm God thing is to leave him with some homework: search Storm's End library for everything he can about SG, and familiarize himself with it.
I now desperately want an interlude where someone walks in on Shireen having a tea party with a Phoenix and a Calligraphy Wyrm, with each of them dressed in doll clothing.
I was trying to work on Zherys again and have some questions. @Goldfish
Why level 16, DP confirmed 15?
If you removed Draconic Heritage he isn't subtype Dragonblooded anymore.
@DragonParadox
Would he still get the boni from Middle-Aged if he became an Incantifier with Arcane Body to avoid the physical penalties?
I was trying to work on Zherys again and have some questions. @Goldfish
Why level 16, DP confirmed 15?
If you removed Draconic Heritage he isn't subtype Dragonblooded anymore.
@DragonParadox
Would he still get the boni from Middle-Aged if he became an Incantifier with Arcane Body to avoid the physical penalties?
I built him at 16th level so I could give him access to 8th level spells, then use an 8th level spell slot with the Persistent Spell Metamagic in order to increase the duration of Ruin Delver's Fortune to 24 hours. He can easily be regressed to 15th level.
And Draconic Bloodline should be plenty to qualify him for the Dragonblooded sub-type. If not, Practical Metamagic can be swapped out and Easy Metamagic used to replace it. Same basic effect, but no need to be Dragonblooded.
