As the two of you slowly demolish said confections there is a commotion at one of the windows and many of the patrons rush to see. Curious and a touch wary from long experience you and Lya join them. There is as it happens nothing to worry about... though there is certainly something to gawk at, there is a man riding a thirteen foot painted lizard though the streets, tamed, not magically bound at that. It looks like your menagerie is not going to be the only place such beasts are going to be commonplace.
The rise of the dino riders. :D Soon we'll see dino ranches.

[X] Azel
 
[X] Get out the Buttercup disguise and have a party in some random tavern in Oldtown.
[X] Have Lya also disguise as a bard called Bubbles.

Edit: kinda need another person to make a Powerpuff Girl reference, but this is a date so no dice......unless?
A horse named Blossom, maybe? Though bringing other Lya sounds like a better option...
 
Part MMMDCCLXXIV: A Crown Cut Loose
A Crown Cut Loose

Twenty-Eight Day of the Fifth Month 294 AC

"You want to get drunk?" Lya's question carries an edge of incredulity and not without cause given your history.

"Drunk, no. I don't think I could get drunk off anything they brew here," you motion to the twinkling lights of Oldtown far below in the dusk around the slow waters of the Honeywine. Flying unseen may not be the usual way to scout out a tavern, but as the two of you have decided on a party over sightseeing this time around it seemed the swiftest.

"Anything that could manage that would likely poison the rest of the customers, but I would like to... what do they call it these days? 'Cut the reigns a bit' I think it was." In what you can only imagine was an attempt to annoy their elders quite a bit of the colloquial language of the younger nobles of the Deep is borrowed from the horselords, or just made up in a horse-like sort of theme that leaves poor Rhango by turn confused and amused.

So saying you seek the ground in a narrow alleyway not far from the Starry Stept, though you would not call the businesses abutting it godly by any stretch of the imagination, wine sinks and gambling halls of the sort frequented by the gentry and the well off as well as by traders and merchants with cause to spend freely. The newly renamed Roaring Dragon, which seems to have gone through a paint job just this month, catches your eye and not just for the name. It is clear the place had a lion in its sign not so long ago, and rather than paint over it entirely the owner had chosen to leave the lion's head in place... strung up with a bit of hemp in the hand of a triumphant dragon. Flattery should not earn the favor of the throne, but since you are not here in your own name you can afford to let it tickle your fancy and spend Buttercup's coin on it at least.

"Alright, let me have a look at that crown. It is a layered enchantment so I should be able to null just the poison resistance and leave the mind ward intact..." If anyone could actually see the two of you past the veil you had raised they would be treated to an odd sight indeed for of course you could not actually take off the crown for her to work with, which left Lya hovering around you, literally so she could get a look at the magic from all angles.

"I've got it, don't move now..." The feeling of her wishcraft against your mind is as though someone had taken an symphony and distilled it into a single gust of wind without the loss of a single note. "There, you can technically be poisoned, at least for the next few hours, so don't do anything that would tempt anyone into doing it, alright?"

"Where's the fun in that?" you laugh as you take on the familiar guise of the bard Buttercup, lute in one hand and feathered hat that Lya had bought you in the other.

"So what role should I play then...?" she asks herself more than you. "Ooh, I know. I am a former acolyte of the Silver Moon who ran away from home in Braavos before I could take my vows and then I fell in with strange company." So saying her robes change to a familiar off white that marks the position, even including the travel stains you would expect from someone not long off the ship. In a matter of fact tone she continues. "I expect you to do your best to seduce me."

"That I shall, my lady," you reply with a bow. "Though that does raise the question where do the bard and the runaway acolyte have the coin to rouse a whole tavern?"

"You think they will be asking questions when you pay for their drinks?" She drags you along into light of the common room and you have absolutely no objection to being dragged.

What songs does Buttercup bring to the Roaring Dragon from the City of Sorcerers?

[] Of the Crowning of the Imperator witnessed by many great and good

[] Of the fall of the Old Lion, hanged like a common cutpurse

[] Of the Peace of the Realm now ordained, among highborn and low, among men and gods alike

[] Write in


OOC: I decided to break this up in two and give you guys a chance to chine in a bit rather than writing this as a single piece.
 
Last edited:
A Crown Cut Loose

Twenty-Eight Day of the Fifth Month 294 AC

"You want to get drunk?" Lya's question carries an edge of incredulity, and not without cause given your history.

"Drunk no, I don't think I could get drunk off anything they brew here," you motion to the twinkling lights of Oldtown far below in the dusk around the slow waters of the Honeywine. Flying unseen may not be the usual way to scout out a tavern, but as the two of you have decided on a party over sightseeing this time around, it seemed the swiftest.

"Anything that could manage that would likely poison the rest of the customers, but I would like to... what do they call it these days? Cut the reigns a bit, I think it was." In what you can only imagine was an attempt to annoy their elders, quite a bit of the colloquial language of the younger nobles of the Deep is borrowed from the horselords or just made up in a horse-like sort of theme that leaves poor Rhango by turn confused and amused.

So saying, you seek the ground in a narrow alleyway not far from the Starry Stept, though you would not call the businesses abutting it godly by any stretch of the imagination, wine sinks and gambling halls of the sort frequented by the gentry and the well off, as well as by traders and merchants with cause to spend freely. The newly renamed Roaring Dragon, which seems to have undergone a paint job just this month, catches your eye and not just for the name. It is clear the place had a lion on its sign not so long ago, and rather than paint over it entirely the owner had chosen to leave the lion's head in place... strung up with a bit of hemp in the hand of a triumphant dragon. Flattery should not earn the favor of the throne, but since you are not here in your own name you can afford to let it tickle your fancy and spend Buttercup's coin on it, at least.

"Alright, let me have a look at that crown. It is a layered enchantment so I should be able to suppress just the poison resistance and leave the mind ward intact..." If anyone could actually see the two of you past the veil you had raised, they would be treated to an odd sight indeed for of course you could not actually take off the crown for her to work with, which left Lya literally hovering around you so she could get a look at the magic from all angles.

"I've got it, don't move now..." The feeling of her wishcraft against your mind is as though someone had taken a symphony and distilled it into one gust of wind without the loss of a single note. "There, you can technically be poisoned at least for the next few hours so don't do anything that would tempt anyone into doing it, alright?"

"Where's the fun in that?" you laugh as you take on the familiar guise of the bard Buttercup, lute in one hand and feathered hat that Lya had bought you in the other.

"So what role should I play then...?" she asks herself more than you. "Ooh, I know. I am a former acolyte of the Silver Moon who ran away from home in Braavos before I could take my vows and then I fell in with strange company." So saying her robes change to a familiar off white that marks the position, even including the travel stains you would expect from someone not long off the ship. In a matter of fact tone, she continues, "I expect you to do your best to seduce me."

"That I shall, my lady," you reply with a bow. "Though that does raise the question, from where do the bard and the runaway acolyte have the coin to rouse a whole tavern?"

"You think they will be asking questions when you pay for their drinks?" She drags you along into light of the common room and you have absolutely no objection to being dragged.

What songs does Buttercup bring to the Roaring Dragon from the City of Sorcerers?

[] Of the Crowning of the Imperator witnessed by many great and good

[] Of the fall of the Old Lion, hanged like a common cutpurse

[] Of the Peace of the Realm now ordained, among highborn and low, among men and gods alike

[] Write in


OOC: I decided to break this up in two and give you guys a chance to chine in a bit rather than writing this as a single piece. Not yet edited.
Here's an edited version of the chapter, DP.

Good thinking, Lya. The best lies carry more than a grain of truth to them. 🧐
 
You know, I have a little headcanon that Lysa made a sort of little tomb for petyr, is not right probably and neither she knew him or him love it but is probably the closet thing she did in order to just tight the wound enought.

You know, people can be weirdly selfish that way.
 
You know, I have a little headcanon that Lysa made a sort of little tomb for petyr, is not right probably and neither she knew him or him love it but is probably the closet thing she did in order to just tight the wound enought.

You know, people can be weirdly selfish that way.

Petyr would need an actual tomb even though his body was never recovered. Lysa handled that .
 
[X] Azel

The songs about how amazing we are and how great our new order is? That's just petty, and in a boring way. It's a little pitiful, honestly, and puffing yourself and your achievements up is bad form (especially on a date). That could be waived if they were also obviously Lya's achievements... But I'm not sure how much she considers the invasion and new institutions her doing.
On the other hand, shitting harder on Tywin? Now that's petty in a satisfying and understandable way, especially because Lya doesn't like him either!
 
[X] Of the fall of the Old Lion, hanged like a common cutpurse
-[X] To the tune of "The Reynes of Castamere"
 
Island on the Edge

Twenty-Eight Day of the Fifth Month 294 AC

"So, where do you want to go today?" It is not admittedly a very romantic question to ask of your betrothed on the very next day after having announced the day of your wedding. Part of you, the part that likes grand speeches and grander architecture, had been inclined to try for some secret getaway, the sort of thing that could surprise even her, the sort that would make use of the resources of the Imperium and all the contacts you have made abroad in the world. You tell that part to kindly shut up. There would be time enough for grand declarations when the time came to speak your vows in the Temple of Unity before all the realm, this day is just for the two of you, and as you have no preference of your own besides being with Lya, you leave the choice of place up to her.

She sits in silence a long moment. "There's a part of me that wants to say the City of Brass," she admits at last. "You know, look through their markets and libraries, see if we can find anything of worth, but this is supposed to be a day off, not an infiltration into the seat of a hostile power. How about the Basilisk Isles? I've never been and I'm sure it's pretty enough in the same way Naath is, and there is a part of me that is curious as to what kind of city the likes of Saan would make."

"You know, he has been oddly quiet in the deliberations of the Curia. I wonder what he could be..." You cut yourself off and promise with a laugh. "No work this day, let's just see what Port Saan has to offer."

***​

What it has to offer it turns out is much of what you had come to expect of the quickly growing ports that have sprung up in many corners of the realm, the noise and bustle of people and goods being loaded and unloaded, of petty traders hawking heir wares, while the clerks of grander companies wait clipboard in hand to check off the day's acquisitions. The ring of smith's hammers mingles with the hissing calls of caged painted lizards small and great... or at least as great as one can reasonably catch with only mortal might and petty magics. For many Port Saan is the final stop on the journey to the wild lands of Sothoryos, where they seek to make their fortunes. According to the tax records barely more than one in three survive to pass through the port on the way back, but that does not seem to have stymied the desire for profit and adventure, if anything it inflames the passions and hopes all the more.

Beyond such daring or foolish souls as they make their way south there are many ships traveling on the eastern winds. From the Summer Isles, bringing with them palm wine and hardwood, rare fruits and perfumes to trade not only with the hardened steel and fine crafts of the Imperium, but also the spices and dyes of the Jade Sea, carried in by ships of Vahar and Faros, even a few from distant Qarth.

On a whim you pick out a small silver hair pin in the shape of a silver phoenix and hand it to Lya with a flourish. She laughs and weaves it into her hair, though it is not long before she pays you back with a feathered hat of the sort Saan himself would not hesitate to wear. "Really now?" you raise an eyebrow in askance.

"Are you saying it is more eye-catching than the cloak?" she asks innocently.

"I'm not wearing the cloak as far as anyone can see," you point out reasonably. Both of you are hidden under glamors, you are after all here to enjoy the sights, not draw a crowd. No doubt you just look like one more couple too wrapped up in each other to count the coin that falls from your hands, a fact of which quite a few of the merchants seem all too pleased to profit from.

Alright, so you are drawing a bit of a crowd, you admit mentally. "Do you want to go have a bite to eat? It's almost midday. Varys found a place that looks interesting..."

Ironically your familiar had drawn more eyes than you and Lya had, though not as many as might have been the case as little as half a year ago. Plenty of her kin had drifted south from the Deep, hitching a ride on passing ships, far more in fact than had gone north as they loved the warm southern climes far more, not to mention the fact that the Archon of the Isles had a place for many of them in his service. 'Snake Dragons', as they were rather confusingly called here in reference to Varys' own former shape made, for great information gatherers and they were more than glad to share everything they learned for a fair price in coin.

At Lya's nod you make your way south down Arrow Street, so named for the fact that it was the first built of all the new construction, straight as an arrow into the heart of the island. Thus the two of you come upon the Jade Table, a large tavern with whitewashed walls and wide glass windows with an actual jade sign hanging above the door... or at least so it seems to eyes not skilled enough to pierce the glamor. The actual jade table for which the place has gained its name is a serpent-kin artifact that had been recovered from the mainland in the early days of the settlement and taken whole as payment by one of Saan's long time officers who had then decided to cash in and open a tavern.

What made the tavern stand out from others of the same sort beyond just the sight of magic at the door was the fact that it was the unofficial hub of sorcerers in the port, though on most days that just meant scholars and sages with a touch of low magic about them and not proper Scholarum trained mages. It was the sort of place one brought random pieces of presumed arcane treasure found and traded, only for most to be disappointed.

Even here magic was not as commonplace as hope would have it, but the atmosphere was pleasant enough that day owing to one of the regulars having managed to trade for 'the real thing', a silver chalice that could ward off poison when drunk from, so long as one did not mind donating three ounces of tears each day to make the magic work. Apparently they were going to call it 'the onion cup' on resale and offer it along a supply of that venerable bulb for ease of use.

On hearing the story Lya giggles under her breath. "I don't think that is how that cup was meant to be used. That sounds like the kind of thing we would have done though."

"I'm glad to see practicality is catching on," you agree as you dig into your plate of seafood and strange herbs. At times like this you do almost miss hunger since without it the sensation of enjoying food is more remote, almost analytical, so the novel almost always has the advantage over the accustomed taste, other than chocolate at least, that is its own kind of magic as far as you are concerned, hence the truly decadent deserts you order, the sort that takes a magic ice box to make as well as Summer Isles chocolate.

As the two of you slowly demolish said confections there is a commotion at one of the windows and many of the patrons rush to see. Curious and a touch wary from long experience you and Lya join them. There is, as it happens, nothing to worry about... though there is certainly something to gawk at. There is a man riding a thirteen foot painted lizard through the streets, tamed, not magically bound at that. It looks like your menagerie is not going to be the only place such beasts are going to be commonplace.

What next?

[] Another visit
-[] Write in where

[] On to the Turn Vote for the next Quarter

[] Write in


OOC: We had not seen much of Port Saan and neither had Lya IC so I figured why not hit two dinosaurs with one stone. One of your potential actions for next turn is going to be dinosaur domestication for better colonization of Sothoryos by the way. We are finally moving in a timescale where that makes sense.
Lya says she has never been to the Bassilisk Isles before, but she and Viserys had a date on one of the islands looking at nature and having a picnic once.
 
I would like to offer some suggested actions for next turn to get ahead of things in case there are issues or suggestions

Ministry of Administration:

[] Organize Elections: Though it is the obligation of the local nobility to organize the elections for the Vox, that does not mean the state cannot help. This action is likely to be welcomed by lords who favor the implementation of Imperial Law and be seen more hesitantly by those lords who are liable to see it as a Imposition
-[] Write in up to two neighboring Dukedoms

[] Settle Land Disputes:
The bane of many a westerosi king and far more smallfolk land disputes are fortunately not likely to be a problem at the Ducal level and most likely not at the county level either, but the lower you go the more tangled it gets with barons waving around decisions given to their ancestors not just by the Dragon Kings, but also by the Old Crowns before Aegon first set foot on Westerosi shores . Of the knights it is best not to speak of least we wake the quarrels beast with a thousand heads
-[] The Reach
-[] The Westerlands
-[] The Riverlands

[] Survey of Marginal lands:
There are in every province of the realm, even in those parts of the Reach that have been tilled for long ages beyond the span of history lands that have a lord but no owner to see to them, ones that are too poor, too stony, too parched or too prone to flooding. In the case of the Vale there are lands that were seen as too Imperiled by their endless war. A proper accounting of these lands will be of great use in deciding which can be made fertile by magic or put to some other use. While no lords will object to such a survey there will come an expectation that something is to be done with them soon
-[] Write in up to two neighboring Dukedoms

And this is what I have so far. I started with administration because I feel this one will be the hardest to fill since it feels a bit broad. Thoughts suggestions and critique welcome
 
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